(Reuters) - Six foreign hostages and eight of their captors were killed when Algerian forces fired on a vehicle being used by besieged gunmen at a gas plant in the remote Algerian desert on Thursday, a local source told Reuters.
Mauritania's ANI news agency, which has been in constant contact with the kidnappers, said seven hostages were still being held: two Americans, three Belgians, one Japanese and one British citizen.
The standoff, which began when gunmen stormed the gas plant on Wednesday morning demanding a halt to a French military operation in neighbouring Mali, has unfolded into one of the biggest international hostage crises in decades.
Mauritania's ANI news agency, which has been in constant contact with the kidnappers, said seven hostages were still being held: two Americans, three Belgians, one Japanese and one British citizen.
The standoff, which began when gunmen stormed the gas plant on Wednesday morning demanding a halt to a French military operation in neighbouring Mali, has unfolded into one of the biggest international hostage crises in decades.