NewsRescue
On Monday, the Russian State Archive released the first photographs of the site where the world’s first cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, died.
The space pioneer was killed in a plane crash 55 years ago, along with renowned test pilot and WWII veteran Vladimir Seregin. The two were piloting a Mig-15UTI trainer jet when it crashed on March 27, 1968, during a routine flight in Russia’s Vladimir Region.
They were killed on the spot, as the plane disintegrated upon impact. The official cause of the crash was never revealed, giving rise to a slew of theories ranging from a piloting error or a collision with a weather balloon to KGB involvement and even a UFO encounter.
The previously unseen photos, taken the next day by the investigating commission, show mangled pieces of the plane scattered at the crash site – but they do little to shed light on the tragic death of the first cosmonaut.
