Fears for Britons as crisis goes on (From Preston and Leyland Citizen)

Fears for Britons as crisis goes on

9:37am Friday 18th January 2013 in National News © Press Association 2013

Fears remain for the safety of British workers caught up in the terrorist attack on an Algerian gasfield after the Government said the incident is "ongoing".

At least one British national has been killed in the desert siege and Prime Minister David Cameron warned that the nation "should be prepared for bad news".

The Algerian authorities announced that there had been "some deaths and injuries" after launching a military bid, without informing the UK, to free foreign workers from Islamist militants.

Algeria's state news agency APS claimed the crisis ended last night but the Foreign Office said today that the incident is not over.

Mr Cameron will make a statement to the Commons to update MPs on the latest developments at the gasfield at In Amenas after chairing a meeting of the Cobra emergencies committee.

Foreign Secretary William Hague, who is cutting short a visit to Australia, told Sky News: "This remains a fluid and evolving situation and many details are still unclear, but the responsibility for the tragic events of the last two days squarely rests with terrorists who chose to attack innocent workers, murdering some and holding others hostage.

"Our priority remains at the moment to identify exactly what has happened to each British national caught up in this incident and, indeed, to help other countries determine what has happened to their nationals."

The Algerian rescue effort was launched yesterday without consultation with the UK, to the dismay of Number 10. Mr Cameron was informed that it was under way when he telephoned his Algerian counterpart, Abdelmalek Sellal, yesterday morning despite having earlier asked to be kept fully updated. Offers of British help had been declined.

Algerian communications minister Mohamed Said Belaid said the military operation succeeded in "neutralising a large number of terrorists and freeing a large number of hostages". "But unfortunately, we are sorry to say, there were some deaths and injuries," he said.

A Belfast man caught up in the siege escaped the complex yesterday and made contact with his family to say he was safe and well. Father-of-two Stephen McFaul, 36, from west Belfast, fled when the vehicle he had been travelling in crashed after coming under attack from Algerian forces. He was able to run off and make it to safety. His 13-year-old son, Dylan, choked back tears as he declared he would give the electrician a "big hug" as soon as he sees him and never let him go overseas again. "I am very happy, I just cannot wait for him to come home," he said.