The Philippines said on Sunday that 52 of its nationals had been accounted for in Algeria following the hostage crisis at a remote gas plant, but it was still not known whether any Filipinos had died.
The Algerian interior ministry said 23 foreigners and Algerians were killed after al-Qaeda-linked gunmen began their attack on the In Amenas gas plant deep in the Sahara Desert on Wednesday.
The Philippines has not confirmed how many of its nationals were working at the plant. But it said on Sunday it had offered consular assistance to 52 Filipinos in Algeria and 39 of those arrived in Manila on Sunday.
“Based on reports from our team in Algeria... we have 52 from Algeria who have been accounted for,” said Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez.
The 39 who returned home on Sunday had been evacuated via London and Dubai and arrived in Manila aboard a commercial jet.
In an initial statement to reporters on Sunday morning, Hernandez described the 39 as “survivors” of the siege.
But after arriving in Manila, the returning Filipinos said nearly all of them had been working far from the hostage site and had only been sent home by their employer due to security fears.