650 hostages freed in Algeria: Agencies

650 people have been rescued from a gas plant in Algeria, but more hostages are still being help.

650 people have been rescued on Friday from a gas facility in a rescue mission by the Algerian military.

The state-backed Algeria Press Service (APS) reported that 573 Algerians were rescued along with half of the foreign nationals held captive.

APS also reported that some militants remain in the facility, which has now been shutdown, and are still holding some hostages.

On Thursday, thirty-four hostages and 14 of their captors were killed in an air raid by the military. It is thought a further six people died on Wednesday, but accurate figures are hard to establish.

The oil facility is run primarily  by a state oil company Sonatrech, along with the British company BP and Norway’s Statoil.

The plant is 1,300 km from the capital Algiers.