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NBA Champion Kobe Bryant Dies in Helicopter Crash in California

© REUTERS / Bob Donnan-USA Today SportsFeb 14, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Western Conference forward Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers (24) reacts in the second half during the NBA All Star Game at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY
Feb 14, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Western Conference forward Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers (24) reacts in the second half during the NBA All Star Game at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY - Sputnik International
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A deadly crash that claimed the lives of at least five people, with no survivors, occurred in the city of Calabasas in California on Sunday, according to the local police.

Former professional basketball player Kobe Bryant has died in a helicopter crash in Los Angeles County, the state of California, TMZ reported on Sunday. Calabasas officials later confirmed Bryant's death.

TMZ said citing Bryant's representatives that his 13-year-old daughter Gianna Maria-Onore was also killed in the crash.

Other victims include a teammate of Bryant's daughter, a parent of the teammate and the pilot, according to NBC News.

In total, there were nine people on board, all of them died, the Los Angeles County Sherriff's Office said.

"... there were no survivors. We have a manifest that indicates that there was 9 people on board the aircraft. The pilot, plus eight individuals", LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said at a press conference on Sunday.

According to the outlet, Bryant was travelling on his private helicopter when something went wrong and it crashed, bursting into flames. The Los Angeles Times said that the Sikorsky S-76 helicopter crashed due to foggy weather.

The accident occurred in the city of Calabasas on Sunday morning, leaving no survivors, the County's Sherriff Office confirmed.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating the cause of the accident.

A five-time NBA champion and two-time Olympic champion, Kobe Bryant, who died at 41, is considered a basketball legend. He was awarded the league's Most Valuable Player in the 2007/08 season and was also NBA's fourth all-time scoring leader with 33,643 points, having held onto third spot until Saturday, when fellow Laker LeBron James overtook him.

Bryant's colleagues in the sports world took to Twitter, many in disbelief, to express their condolences over his tragic death.

US President Donald Trump also said the reports about Bryant's death are "terrible news".

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