LOS ANGELES, Jan. 26 -- Retired NBA star Kobe Bryant was one of nine people killed in a helicopter crash amid foggy conditions in the hills above Calabasas, southern California, on Sunday.

"It is with great sadness that we learn of the death of Kobe Bryant and four others in a helicopter crash in Calabasas," the City of Calabasas confirmed on its official Twitter account early afternoon. The Los Angeles Lakers legend, five-time NBA champion and 18-time All-Star died at the age of 41.

The aircraft went down in a remote field off Las Virgenes around 10:00 this morning. Nobody on the ground was hurt, the city tweeted.

At a press briefing later in the afternoon, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said that nine people were aboard the crashed helicopter - a pilot and eight passengers.

The Sheriff did not identify anyone on the flight, saying it was entirely "inappropriate" to do so at this time until the coroner made the identification to the next of kin. U.S. media TMZ first broke the tragic news of Bryant's death, which was later confirmed by other media including cnn.

Authorities received a 911 call of "a potential helicopter down and a brush fire" at 9:47 a.m. and firefighters arrived on the scene to find that the crash had caused a quarter-acre brush fire in steep terrain, said L.A. County Fire Chief Daryl Osby at the press briefing.

Responders included 56 fire personnel - firefighters, a helicopter with paramedics, hand crews - and sheriff's deputies.

【体坛英语资讯：Spotlight: NBA legend Kobe Bryant killed in California helicopter crash】相关文章：

★ 体坛英语资讯：Gonzalez stuns Federer in round-robin in Shanghai

★ 体坛英语资讯：Brazil midfielder Lucas Lima warms to China move

★ 体坛英语资讯：Angolan womens soccer team qualifies for Cosafa Cup final

★ 娱乐英语资讯：Miss Serbia, Kosovo bury politics

★ 体坛英语资讯：Bremen promote Nouri as head coach

★ 体坛英语资讯：Alonso and Hamilton wait on FIA hearings

★ 体坛英语资讯：Liu Xiang wins first world athletics crown

★ 体坛英语资讯：Olympic torch relay starts in Nagano

★ 娱乐英语资讯：Jessica Alba: Im more afraid of breastfeeding than giving birth

★ 体坛英语资讯：France visit Italy for revenge, England in peril