One of his fingerprints ... Bryant's body was identified among the nine victims of the crash

The body of ex-American basketball star Kobe Bryant has been identified from among the nine bodies of the victims of his helicopter crash last Sunday near Los Angeles, according to the district forensic medical center announced Tuesday.

In a statement, the center noted that Bryant, 41, a former Los Angeles Lakers star, had been identified by his fingerprints, along with two other men and a woman.

The two men are baseball coach John Altubelli, 56, who died in the accident with his wife Kerry and their daughter Alyssa, and helicopter pilot Ara Zubayan, 50.

The woman identified was Sarah Chester, 45, who was in the helicopter with her daughter Payton.

Investigators are working to identify the remaining five deceased, including Bryant Jana's 13-year-old daughter.

Aid workers had announced earlier the recovery of the nine bodies of the victims of the plane crash, which crashed on a hillside.

Three bodies had been recovered the day of the accident from the wreckage, before the other six were found the next day, and all the bodies were taken to the forensic center.

Bryant, who was crowned five times in the Lakers' shirt before retiring in 2016, died Sunday as a helicopter crash carrying him in Calabasas in Los Angeles, southern California.

The Sikorsky S76B helicopter crashed around ten local time, Sunday, as dense fog surrounded the city.

The plane took off from Newport Beach (60 km south of Los Angeles), where Bryant was staying, toward the former Star Mamba Academy located 135 km away.

According to preliminary information available to the investigation and covered by American newspapers, the flight data indicated difficulties that occurred when the plane flew over the Los Angeles Zoo, when the pilot was informed that he was flying at low altitude.

A few minutes later, it appears that the helicopter crashed into a hill about 520 meters from the ground before it caught fire, and the plane had no black box, as it was not required for this type of aircraft.

US Transportation Safety Agency investigators spoke of a "terrible accident site", with debris spreading about 200 meters away.