Gagarin death investigator says no cover-up

One of the officials who looked into the death thirty years ago of the first man in space, the Soviet astronaut, Yuri Gagarin, has denied allegations that there was a cover-up.

At a news conference following the anniversary of the death in an air crash of Gagarin -- who worked as a test pilot -- and his assistant, the former investigator, Stepan Mikoyan, reiterated that their aircraft went into a spin at low altitude, and hit the ground.

He strongly denied suggestions that the aircraft had been sabotaged, or that Gagarin was under the influence of alcohol.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service