SEOUL — Japan is still attempting to verify
the fate of Japanese workers who were taken hostage at a natural gas
plant in a remote part of Algeria. At this point, little hope is being
expressed that any of the 10 missing Japanese engineers in Algeria are
still alive.
Algerian officials say 25 more bodies were discovered Sunday at the besieged natural gas complex in the desert. That brings to about 80 the number of fatalities, which includes dozens of foreign hostages.
In Tokyo, chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga tells reporters Japanese government officials are to visit later Monday, a hospital where some of those unaccounted for could have been taken.
Suga says everything will be done to ascertain the fate of the missing Japanese.
Japan also says a government aircraft will be dispatched to bring home seven Japanese who escaped from the plant, which was attacked by Islamic militants last Wednesday.
Also in Algeria searching for precise information is the president of JGC Corporation, the Japanese engineering company which built the refinery at In Amenas and has operated in Algeria since the 1960's.
Japanese officials say they also have unanswered questions about the response taken by Algeria's military. Its forces on Thursday opened fire, saying the kidnappers were attempting to escape with some of the foreign hostages.
Besides Japanese employees of the facility, American, British, French, Norwegian and Romanian workers are also reported to have died.
Algeria says five of the attackers were captured alive Saturday.
In a video posted on the Internet, Islamist Mokhtar Belmokhtar has claimed responsibility. He says he was acting in the name of al-Qaida and that the attack was conducted, in part, as a response to the French military operation against al-Qaida linked militants in Mali.
Algerian officials say 25 more bodies were discovered Sunday at the besieged natural gas complex in the desert. That brings to about 80 the number of fatalities, which includes dozens of foreign hostages.
In Tokyo, chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga tells reporters Japanese government officials are to visit later Monday, a hospital where some of those unaccounted for could have been taken.
Suga says everything will be done to ascertain the fate of the missing Japanese.
Japan also says a government aircraft will be dispatched to bring home seven Japanese who escaped from the plant, which was attacked by Islamic militants last Wednesday.
Also in Algeria searching for precise information is the president of JGC Corporation, the Japanese engineering company which built the refinery at In Amenas and has operated in Algeria since the 1960's.
Japanese officials say they also have unanswered questions about the response taken by Algeria's military. Its forces on Thursday opened fire, saying the kidnappers were attempting to escape with some of the foreign hostages.
Besides Japanese employees of the facility, American, British, French, Norwegian and Romanian workers are also reported to have died.
Algeria says five of the attackers were captured alive Saturday.
In a video posted on the Internet, Islamist Mokhtar Belmokhtar has claimed responsibility. He says he was acting in the name of al-Qaida and that the attack was conducted, in part, as a response to the French military operation against al-Qaida linked militants in Mali.
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