U.S. Army Captain Michael Kelvington, commander of the Battle company, 1-508 Parachute Infantry battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, bows next to remains of Gulam Dostager, a member of Afghan Local Police who was killed in the blast of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) during the joint Tor Janda (Black Flag in Pashtu) operation, in Zahri district of Kandahar province, southern Afghanistan May 25, 2012.  REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov  (AFGHANISTAN - Tags: MILITARY CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

Reuters Photojournalism

Our day's top images, in-depth photo essays and offbeat slices of life. See the best of Reuters photography.  See more | Photo caption 

Members of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels fly over the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan as part of the 25th annual Fleet Week celebration in New York, May 23, 2012.  REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz (UNITED STATES - Tags: MILITARY ANNIVERSARY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

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Obama, Biden to attend memorial for miners

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WASHINGTON | Mon Apr 19, 2010 10:23pm EDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden plan to attend a memorial service on Sunday for the 29 coal miners killed in a West Virginia mine blast, the White House said on Monday.

The April 5 disaster at Massey Energy's Upper Big Branch mine was the deadliest U.S. mine accident in nearly 40 years.

Obama is to deliver a eulogy in honor of those who died. The service will be held in Beckley, West Virginia.

The president last week accused Massey Energy, the largest coal producer in the Central Appalachia mountain region, of having "put their bottom line before the safety of their workers." Massey Energy has rejected suggestions that the explosion was due to a disregard for safety.

Obama called for better mine oversight nationwide.

(Writing by Caren Bohan; Editing by Eric Beech)

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