Kobe Bryant and Gianna cause of death confirmed after tragic helicopter accident

The cause of death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna has been confirmed by the LA County coroner’s office.

LA Lakers icon Bryant, 41, and his 13-year-old daughter tragically died when the helicopter they were travelling in crashed near Calabasas, California on Sunday. The crash also killed the other seven people who were on the aircraft.

The Los Angeles County coroner’s office has announced that all nine victims of the crash lost their lives to “blunt trauma”, with the deaths certified as an “accident”, according to Hollywood Life.

Also among those who also died in the crash were Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli, 56, his wife Keri, their daughter Alyssa and Harbor Day School assistant coach Christina Mauser.

Another young player, Payton Chester, was also killed along with her mother Sarah Chester, and pilot Ara Zobayan.

The S-76B helicopter they were travelling in crashed after suffering a descent rate of 2,000 feet per minute.

Jennifer Homendy, a board member on the National Transportation Safety Board, described the accident as a “high energy impact crash” after the helicopter suffered a descent rate of 2,000 feet per minute.

Heavy fog blanketed Los Angeles on the morning of the accident – but the probable cause of the crash will not be confirmed until the NTSB release a final report into the incident, which may not be for another 12-18 months.

The cause of the nine of the nine deaths was revealed hours after Bryant’s widow Vanessa broke her silence on the devastating loss of her husband and daughter.