Jonathan Lucas, the chief medical examiner for Los Angeles County, said it could take days to recover the remains given the rough terrain.

Mr. Bryant was on his way to the academy to coach his daughter, according to two law enforcement officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to divulge details of the continuing investigations.

The academy was hosting the Mamba Cup Tournament Series, tournaments for boys’ and girls’ basketball teams from the third through eighth grades. All the games were canceled after the news of Mr. Bryant’s death became public.

Grief spread across Los Angeles, with thousands of fans congregating at or near Staples Center. Fans erected a shrine with Mr. Bryant’s jersey as well as flowers, caps and signs. So many people arrived that most could not even catch a glimpse of the memorial.

They passed cellphones several rows ahead so that strangers could shoot pictures of the shrine for them.

“Kobe unites everybody,” said Maika McNairy, 17, a fan who was there with his mother.

Current and former Lakers players wrote emotional tributes on social media.

“IM SICK RIGHT NOW,” Shaquille O’Neal, Mr. Bryant’s retired teammate, wrote on Twitter. “I would hug his children like they were my own and he would embrace my kids like they were his.”