'Seven hostages dead' in Algeria assault

Eleven militants have been killed in a final assault by Algerian special forces on a desert gas facility where workers were being held captive, the state news agency said today.

The Algerian Press Service said seven hostages were killed by the terrorists during the raid on the In Amenas plant in the Sahara.

The assault followed after a four-day stand-off.

There were reports that 16 foreign hostage had been freed - including two Americans, two Germans and one Portuguese.

APS quoted a security source as saying that the hostages who died were killed by their captors. There was no immediate information on the nationalities involved.

The UK's Foreign Office said the British Ambassador to Algiers, Martyn Roper, was expected to travel to the area later today.