Obama to meet families of workers killed in oil rig blast

CNN Wire Staff

[cnn-photo-caption image=http://www.cnn.com/video/us/2010/06/10/malveaux.oil.rig.families.cnn.576×324.jpg caption="President Obama will host families of workers killed in the BP oil rig blast at White House." width=300 height=169]

President Obama will host the families of the 11 workers killed in the BP oil rig explosion at the White House on Thursday.

"Obviously, the president will express his heartfelt condolences for the families of the 11 that lost their lives the very first night of the explosion," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said.

"I think he is eager to discuss with them what their family was telling them about safety conditions and what type of changes can and must be made in the regulatory framework to ensure that deepwater drilling that goes forward is done in a way that is safe and not life-threatening."

The meeting with the families comes as the administration sends Labor Secretary Hilda Solis to New Orleans, Louisiana, to meet with fishermen affected by the gushing oil and as Capitol Hill opens another series of hearings on the mater.

Obama has announced plans to visit the Gulf Coast again next week. His itinerary includes stops in Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, three of the four states affected by the disaster. It will be his fourth trip to the region since the gusher began in late April.

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