Senate will hold moment of silence for victims of deadly mine explosion

Reid shared a story
about his father, who was a miner, saying that he was seriously injured
in an explosion when the senator was a young child. 

Reid said
his father was “hurt, in a state of shock” after the explosion, which
was caused by a faulty fuse, blew out his light and knocked the soles
off of his shoes. His father was able to escape the mine before the
additional charges went off.

“I sympathize greatly with the people of West Virginia for their loss,” he said.

The Nevada Democrat hails from the town of Searchlight, which was known for its gold mining and exploration of other minerals.

Senate
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), like Reid, offered condolences
to the people of West Virginia. Kentucky is also a major coal producing
state.

“Our hearts and prayers go out to our neighbors in West
Virginia as they try and recover from the latest tragedy in what is
obviously a very dangerous profession,” he said on the Senate floor.

Majority
Whip Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) also addressed the mining tragedy and said
stronger mine safety oversight is needed. “It clearly calls for a much
more aggressive approach by our federal government,” he said. “We can
do better.”

Reid, McConnell and Durbin also offered
condolences for the people of Poland, who lost their president and
other top government officials in a plane crash in Russia this weekend. 

Ben Geman contributed to this post