Three bodies were recovered on Sunday itself, from the helicopter wreckage located in the 4200 block of Las Virgenes Road in Calabasas, California, and another six were located the next day, Xinhua news agency quoted the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner as saying on Tuesday.

 

Investigators have already identified three men and one woman who were on the aircraft.

 

They are John Altobelli (56), Kobe Bryant (41), Sarah Chester (45) and Ara Zobay (50), said the department. These names had already been taken in the public by friends and family members, but this was the first official confirmation.

 

The remaining five were yet to be identified.

 

The helicopter crashed in steep terrain at a very high speed on Sunday morning leading to a quarter-acre brush fire.

 

All nine people on board, the pilot and eight passengers, were killed.

 

The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) was looking at pilot records, weather information, air traffic control communication and the wreckage as part of the investigation, said NTSB member Jennifer Homendy.

 

All the pieces of the helicopter wreckage required for investigation have been taken to a secure location, in addition to evidence that includes a mobile phone, iPad, certain maintaince records and other documentation.

 

There was no black box on board the helicopter, nor was one legally required, she added.