Los Angeles: Retired NBA star Kobe Bryant was one of five people killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas of 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, the Xinhua news agency reported.

The aircraft went down in a remote field off Las Virgenes around 10 a.m. Nobody on the ground was hurt, the city tweeted. Five people were confirmed deceased, no survivors in Calabasas helicopter crash, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department tweeted.

It is with great sadness that we learn of the death of Kobe Bryant and four others in a helicopter crash in Calabasas. The aircraft went down in a remote field off Las Virgenes around 10:00 this morning. Nobody on the ground was hurt. The FAA and NTSB are investigating.

— City of Calabasas (@CityofCalabasas) January 26, 2020

At a press briefing Sunday 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. TMZ first broke the tragic news, saying Bryant was travelling with at least three other people in his private helicopter when it went down.