Breaking News - Hostage death toll climbs at Algeria gas plant

[NewsCaster]

Anis Belghoul / APAlgerian army trucks make their way on a road the gas plant where hostages were taken, deep in the Sahara desert in Algeria on Sunday. Algeria's special forces stormed the natural gas complex in a final assault Saturday, killing 11 militants, but not before the militants in turn killed seven hostages.By Lamine Chikhi, ReutersALGIERS, Algeria - The hostage death toll from a four-day siege at an Algerian gas plant deep in the Sahara has risen to almost 60, with at least nine Japanese nationals also reported killed in an attack claimed by a veteran Islamist fighter on behalf of al-Qaida.

Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal is expected to give details at a Monday news conference about one of the worst international hostage crises in decades, which left American, British, French, Japanese, Norwegian and Romanian workers dead or missing.

A security source said on Sunday Algerian troops had found the bodies of 25 hostages, raising the total number of hostages killed to 48 and the total number of deaths to at least 80. He said six militants were captured alive and troops were still searching for others.




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