Survivor Alexandre Berceaux and others tell of terrifying ordeal
They hid under beds and in gaps in the ceiling as they recounted the long hours of waiting and praying before they were freed by troops
Many of them had explosives wrapped around their necks. Others hid, petrified, under beds, in gaps above ceilings or wherever they could for nearly two days.
The ordeals suffered by workers caught up in the hostage drama at an Algerian gas field began to emerge yesterday as the first survivors to make contact with friends and family started to tell their horrifying stories.
Alexandre Berceaux worked for CIS Catering, the French company responsible for feeding more than 700 workers on the huge Tiguentourine site located in the desert in Algeria's south.
When dozens of Islamist gunmen launched their assault on the complex before dawn on Wednesday, he was in his room, his rest interrupted by the sound of an alarm going off.
From the security training all staff are given, he knew that the particular alarm meant he should stay put, but initially assumed it was just a routine drill.
After hearing repeated bursts of gunfire, he soon realised he couldn't have been more wrong and the Frenchman made a decision that may have saved his life.