DHAKA: Singer Beyonce has defended using audio recordings from the 1986 Challenger space shuttle disaster in a track from her recently released album.

The pop star has been criticised for using clips of an ex-Nasa public affairs officer on her XO track.

‘My heart goes out to the families of those lost in the Challenger disaster,’ the singer said in a statement, reports the BBC.

The song, she continued, ‘was recorded with the sincerest intention to help heal those who have lost loved ones’.

The use of the recordings, she said, was intended ‘to remind us that unexpected things happen, so love and appreciate every minute that you have with those who mean the most to you’.

‘The songwriters included the audio in tribute to the unselfish work of the Challenger crew with hope that they will never be forgotten.’

XO, one of the 14 songs on Beyonce’s self-titled new album, was written and produced by Ryan Tedder and Terius Nash.

Seven astronauts died on 28 January 1986 when the space shuttle Challenger disintegrated 73 seconds after launch.

BDST: 1600 HRS, JAN 01, 2014
Edited by Robab Rosan, Current Affairs Editor