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Extreme fog grounded Los Angeles County Sheriff aircraft at time of Kobe Bryant helicopter crash

Posted at 5:31 AM, Jan 27, 2020
and last updated 2020-01-27 07:31:15-05

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva says his department's helicopters were grounded due to weather in the area where a helicopter carrying Kobe Bryant and eight other people crashed and burned Sunday morning.

Conditions were extremely foggy when the NBA legend's helicopter went down northwest of Los Angeles on a hillside in the city of Calabasas, killing everyone aboard.

The sheriff told a press conference that debris is scattered over an area the size of a football field.

The county medical examiner, Dr. Jonathan Lucas, says recovery of remains may take several days.

Lucas says investigators will try to make identifications of the victims as quickly as possible.