Branson: Virgin Galactic explosion claims 'quite hurtful'

Virgin Galactic owner Sir Richard Branson has said it was "quite hurtful" for his company's engineers that claims were made about their spacecraft exploding.

Sir Richard said that a fuel explosion has been ruled out by the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the crash.

He blamed "self-proclaimed experts... reeled in by the Sunday newspapers" for the suggestions that an explosion caused the accident.

He denied that any of Virgin Galactic's engineers had raised concerns about safety prior to the test flight.