In total, nine individuals were aboard the helicopter at the time of the crash, initial reports stated five. While officials are continuing their investigations and working to recover the victims’ bodies, the area in which the crash occurred makes it difficult to navigate. "We're doing everything we can to confirm identifications and give closure to the families involved,” Los Angeles County Chief Medical Examiner Jonathan Lucas said, according to CNN.
So far seven individuals have been identified publicly including Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, who had planned to go to a basketball game. Two others, Sarah Chester and Payton Chester, a mother and daughter pair, have been identified by friends and family, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife Keri Altobelli, and daughter, Alyssa Altobelli, were also on board, Altobelli’s brother told CNN. Corona del Mar School’s assistant girls basketball coach, Christina Mauser was also identified amongst the victims. Bryant’s private pilot Ara Zobayan has also been confirmed to have been flying the helicopter by his flight student Darren Kemp, the Los Angeles Times reported. Kemp told the Los Angeles Times that Bryant preferred Zobayan to fly him over anyone else.
The cause of the crash is still being investigated.