ALGIERS, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- Algerian Communication Minister Mohamed Said said Sunday that the death toll of the attack on a gas field facility in Illizi in the south of the country is likely to increase.
Mohamed Said told local Radio Channel III that "Unfortunately, I'm afraid that the death toll of the assault would increase."
"The Special Forces are continuing to search for victims in the gas field of Tiguentourine, as the figure provided by the Interior Ministry is provisional, the final toll will be known in the upcoming hours," he added.
On Wednesday, an armed group assaulted the gas field and seized a number of workers as hostages. The day after, Algerian army launched an operation to rescue the hostages, which ended on Saturday evening and left at least 23 hostages and 32 militants killed, according to the initial figure of the Interior Ministry.
