6 Pinoys among workers killed in Algeria hostage crisis — DFA


(Updated 3:05 p.m.) Six Filipinos were among those killed while four others were reported missing in the hostage crisis that rocked Algeria last week, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

"Based on reports received from team in Algeria and embassy in London, 16 OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) accounted for and confirmed alive, six were confirmed dead, four were still unaccounted for," said DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez at a press briefing Monday.

He said the 26 Filipinos were working at the gas facility that was attacked by Islamic militants last week.

"The DFA is now notifying next of kin of the six confirmed dead and coordinating shipment of their remains. We are locating whereabouts of the unaccounted four," Hernandez said.

He said all the Filipino fatalities, who were killed "mostly by gunshot wounds and the effects of explosion" were male and were "mostly from Japanese companies."

It was not clear, however, if the six Filipinos were executed by the militants or were killed when Algerian authorities staged an assault on the facility to end the hostage crisis.

16 accounted for

Hernandez said of the 16 OFWs who were accounted for, four were in Al-Azhar clinic in Algiers, four were billeted in Mercure Hotel awaiting repatriation, four were repatriated and were on their way home, and four were vacationing in the Philippines when the hostage-taking incident happened.

On Sunday, dozens of Filipinos arrived home after being sent home by their employer in Algeria due to security fears following an Islamic militant attack at a remote gas plant.

A Reuters report Monday morning said Algerian troops found 25 bodies of hostages at the bomb-littered gas plant deep in the Sahara desert on Sunday, a day after ending the four-day siege. This raised the death toll of militants and their captives to at least 80.
 
Around 30 foreigners — including American, British, French, Japanese, Norwegian and Romanian citizens — are among those missing or confirmed dead after the siege, one of the worst international hostage crises in decades.
 
Algeria had given a preliminary death toll of 55 people killed — 23 hostages and 32 militants — on Saturday and said it would rise as more bodies were found.

Deployment ban?

Despite the incident, the Philippine government has yet to discuss whether a deployment ban will be implemented in Algeria.

"There are no discussions on that yet," Hernandez said. "As you all know deployment bans are decided upon by the POEA (Philippine Overseas Employment Administration) governing board upon the recommendation of the DFA and our people on the ground." — KBK, GMA News

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