TOKYO, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Japanese government on Thursday confirmed that one more Japanese national was killed in the hostage crisis in Algeria, raising the Japanese death toll in the crisis to 10, local media reported.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the latest Japanese fatality was the sole Japanese national whose whereabouts was still unaccounted for in the hostage crisis which took place at a gas plant in the North African country, according to Japan's Kyodo News Agency.
The 10 victims were employees of Japan Gasoline Company, which has a total of 17 Japanese nationals working at the plant. The company confirmed earlier that seven of them are in safe condition.
An aircraft of the Japan's Self-Defense Forces sent to Algiers, the capital of Algeria, left for Tokyo Thursday morning and will arrive in Japan on Friday morning, with bodies of nine victims that were confirmed earlier and the seven survivors on board.
