Thirty-five hostages and 15 hostage-takers in Algeria killed while being moving location.

Al Jazeera - Thirty-five hostages and 15 hostage-takers in Algeria killed while being moving location.

Update:  Thirty-five hostages and 15 kidnappers have been killed in southern Algeria as they were being moved to another location. Thursday's incident happened a day after dozens of foreigners and Algerians were taken hostage by heavily armed fighters near the In Amenas gas field. The kidnapping began with the ambush of a bus carrying employees from the gas plant to the nearby airport but the attackers were driven off, according to the Algerian government, which said three vehicles of heavily armed men were involved.
The spokesman for the Masked Brigade, which had claimed responsibility for the abductions on Wednesday, told a Mauritanian news agency that the deaths were a result of an Algerian government helicopter attack on a convoy holding kidnappers and hostages.
The spokesman said that Abou el-Baraa, the leader of the kidnappers, was also killed in the helicopter attack.
The fighters said they seized the hostages in retaliation for Algeria letting France use its airspace to launch operations against rebels in northern Mali.Source Al Jazeera.

More here from RT:

Algerian helicopters have attacked a group of Mali Islamists militants held up in a Saharan gas facility, reportedly killing 34 hostages and 15 of their captors. The army moved in after over 50 captives, including dozens of foreigners, escaped.
One of the kidnappers at the Algerian gas installation told Mauritania's ANI news agency about the government airstrikes and resulting causalities, though the information has not been independently confirmed.
The UK Foreign Office has confirmed that a military operation is currently underway at the site, though no other information was forthcoming.
Locals told Reuters that the vehicles of the hostage takers had been destroyed in the assault, and “many” dead bodies were at the scene.
Two Japanese nationals had previously been reported injured in the airstrikes.

More here from France 24 :  LIVE: Dozens escape besieged Algerian BP site

• Dozens of hostages escape from BP gas facility in the country’s southeast, where Islamist militants hold scores captive, including 41 foreigners. 
• French national held hostage tells FRANCE 24 by telephone that hostage takers are were well-armed and have forced some hostages to wear belts strapped with explosives. 
• Hostages include French, British, American, Norwegian, and Japense nationals, according to reports.