All nine bodies recovered from Kobe Bryant helicopter crash site

Investigators have recovered the bodies of all nine people who died in the helicopter crash that killed NBA legend Kobe Bryant, the coroner's office said.

Three bodies were retrieved from the scattered wreckage by a special response team Sunday -- the day of the crash. The remaining six were located as the search resumed in rugged terrain Monday, it said.

The remains were "removed from the crash site and transported to the department's forensic science center" for examination and identification, the Los Angeles County coroner's office said in a statement.

The death Bryant -- a five-time NBA champion for the LA Lakers and double Olympic gold medalist -- has shocked the world, with tributes continuing to pour in.

A petition for the NBA logo to be redesigned with Bryant's likeness had reached two million signatures by Tuesday afternoon.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences confirmed to AFP that a tribute to Bryant would be included in next month's Oscars ceremony telecast.

The star, who won an Academy Award in 2018 for animated short film "Dear Basketball," had been honored with a moment's silence at the Oscars nominees luncheon on Monday.

Bryant, 41, was traveling with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven other passengers and crew when the Sikorsky S-76 slammed into a hillside in thick fog in Calabasas, northwest of LA.

The helicopter was headed to Bryant's Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, where his daughter was set to play.

- 'Pretty devastating' -
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