Wreckage of Bryant helicopter smoulders at site

Basketball legend Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash in dense morning fog in southern California on Sunday.

The chopper went down on a steep hillside in Calabasas, about 30 miles (48 kilometres) northwest of downtown Los Angeles.

Video showed smoke rising from a piece of wreckage, with an emergency responder looking on.

Among the other victims were John Altobelli, head coach of Southern California's Orange Coast College baseball team, his wife, Keri, and daughter, Alyssa, who played on the same team as Bryant's daughter.

The cause of the crash was under investigation and the National Transportation Safety Board said it was sending a team of investigators to the site.