I heard an enormous amount of gunfire. The alarm telling us to stay where we were was going off. I didn't know if it was a drill or if it was real. Nobody expected this. The site was protected. There were soldiers in place. I stayed hidden for nearly 40 hours in my room. I was under the bed and I put boards everywhere just in case. I had a bit of food, a bit to drink, I didn't know how long it would last. 10.18 Henry Samuel, via Reuters, reports that there are 30 casulaties among the hostages, including one French national, and a dozen kidnappers have been killed, including a French national. 10.10 The al Qaeda-linked group that said it was behind the mass kidnapping has vowed to carry out more operations, Mauritania's ANI news agency said, citing a spokesman. The Mulathameen group warned Algerians to "stay away from the installations of foreign companies as we will strike where it is least expected," ANI said. 10.05 Some Algeria hostage-takers are "still holed up" in the gas complex, security sources have told AFP. 10.00 Charles Pellegrini, the former head of France's anti-terror unit, says it was clear the hostage taking would end in a blood bath, as the Algerians are from the 'Russian school'. Speaking to Le Parisien, he said: Trained in Russia during the Soviet period, those in charge of the Algerian army never negotiate with terrorists and always resolve this type of situation Russian-style... In 1994, it took huge international pressure for them to allow a hijacked Air France plane to land on their soil. Also, one must understand that Belmokhtar (the kidnapper's assumed leader) is their personal enemy. Sentenced to death in absentia, he is for the Algerians the symbol of the explosive years fighting Islamist groups. All that means the hostage taking could only end in a blood bath... As the site did not house many French, it appeared (to Algerian authorities) less exposed than others. And the commando no doubt said to themselves that by taking foreign expatriates hostage, notably Americans, the risk of an immediate and violent response by Algerian authorities was smaller. Belmokhtar's men, who were in need of a high-profile strike to gain rank in the jihadi fight, clearly underestimated Algerian national pride. 09.55 Cameron's statement is happening at 11am as all the countries involved in the raid are currently being briefed by the Algerian government, Bruno Waterfield, our Brussels correspondent, tells me. 09.46 Meanwhile a former top Algerian intelligence official has told Le Figaro newspaper: It is completely clear that the terrorists will be totally eliminated, whatever the price to pay. 09.45 Reuters is reporting that a US plane in Algeria has arrived to pick up Americans after the crisis. A local source told the news agency that plane landed at In Amenas airport, about 30 miles from the plant. 09.40 Two Scots are said to be among foreign hostages freed following the raid. BBC Scotland has identified one Scottish worker now with the Algerian army as Mark Grant, from Grangemouth. It is unclear whether he was freed by his captors, rescued or managed to escape. The Foreign Office is still not commenting on how many Britons may be involved in the crisis. It's still very fluid. We don't want to confirm numbers when the clarity isn't there. Mark Grant from Grangemouth 09.35 The Norwegian government, much like Britain and Japan, is adding to pressure on the Algerian government, according to journalist Trond Sundnes. Espen Barth Eide, the foreign minister, said "We will of course need a ful review of events in the aftermath of a serious incident. Jens Stoltenberg, the prime minister, is not happy with the information flow from Algeria. 09.30 David Cameron is due to make a statement to the Commons at 11am today about the crisis, according to the Speaker's office. 09.24 Several Norwegian media are currently reporting on a Norwegian medical plane - a civilian airplane refitted as a hospital. It was yesterday heading towards Algeria, but had to go down in Italy, due to the lack of landing permissions close to In Amenas. According to Norwegian MFA they have received a landing permission in Hassi Massoud - which is 450 miles away from In Ames. MFA state that they are trying to get a landing permission closer to the incident - so far without any response. 09.06 William Hague, who along with Philip Hammond, is in Australia, has reiterated David Cameron's line that people should be prepared for more bad news. I again condemn utterly the wanton act of terrorism carried about against workers in Algeria. I'm very grateful for the sympathy and condolences that Senator Carr and others have extended to us. 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. We sent additional staff to Algeria, we're in close touch with the Algerian authorities and with BP, we're working to ensure that those who survive this ordeal are properly cared for and reunited with their loved ones and that the families of all those involved receive full and accurate information and support. 08.55 David Cameron is due to convene a Cobra crisis meeting in five minutes. We'll let you know more as and when it filters in. 08.37 Philip Hammond, the defence secretary, has been speaking in Australia. This terrible incident of terrorism has highlighted again the threat in north Africa and the Sahel from international terrorism. Working with our international partners we shall remain our resolve to see that the threat is countered and defeated and Al Qaeda denied a foothold on Europe's southern border. We have sent additional staff to Algeria and are in close touch with the Algerian authorities and BP. We are working to ensure that those who survived this ordeal are properly cared for and reunited with their loved ones and that the families of all those involved receive full and accurate information and support. 08.20 At least 22 foreign hostages remain unaccounted for. Two Japanese, two Britons and a French national were among at least seven foreigners killed, the source told Reuters. Eight dead hostages were Algerian. The nationalities of the rest, as well as of perhaps dozens more who escaped, were unclear. Some 600 local Algerian workers, less well guarded, survived. Fourteen Japanese were among those still unaccounted for by the early hours of Friday, their Japanese employer said, while Norwegian state energy company Statoil, which runs the Tigantourine gas field with Britain's BP and Algeria's national oil company, said eight Norwegian employees were still missing. 08.15 There was jubilation for one family yesterday as father-of-two Stephen McFaul, 36, from west Belfast, made contact with his wife Angela to say he was safe and well. The Irishman fled after 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. Mr McFaul's mother Marie, his son Dylan, and his father Chris spoke of their relief that he was safe 07.58 Japan is about as angry as any other country involved in this raid. The foreign ministry has summoned the Algerian ambassador, demanding answers over the operation. Julian Ryall, our Japanese correspondent, tells us that JGC Corp., the Japanese engineering firm that was involved in the operations of the In Amenas plant, has been able to confirm that three of its employees caught up in the raid were safe, but there is no news on the whereabouts of 14 other staff. The Japanese government, like Britain, only learned that the Algerian authorities were attempting a military solution to the stand-off from foreign diplomats and media reports, despite explicit requests from Tokyo. 07.56 Two French workers "are back" safe from the crisis, according to Manuel Valls, the interior minsiter, adding that "very few" were working at the gas plant. Meanwhile across the border in Mali, AFP reports that the Malian army has claimed "total control" of the town of Konna. 07.55 Mr Cameron was forced to cancel his long-awaited speech on Europe at the last minute to deal with the Algerian crisis. In the address, which he was hoping to give in Amsterdam this morning, Mr Cameron had planned to warn that Britain risked "drifting towards the exit" of the EU unless there was fundamental reform, says Robert Winnett, The Telegraph's political editor. 07.50 David Cameron has been warned to expect "multiple" Britons to be among up to 34 gas workers killed in the West's worst hostage crisis in a generation. The Prime minister, who was not informed of the raid before it started, said that the country "should be prepared for the possibility of further bad news." 07.48 Richard Spencer, our Middle East Corresopndent, said last night that the seizure of the gas complex by the desert jihadis could not have been more embarrassing for the famously tough Algerian armed forces. The country was supposed to have had the Islamists beaten, after a war which cost 100,000 lives in the 1990s civil war. Only last Saturday, the Algerian, Libyan and Tunisian prime ministers issued a joint pledge to enhance security on their borders. Yet, over a territory without cover, the attackers managed to creep up on and surprise hundreds of local and foreign staff. Algeria relies on its oil and gas reserves to maintain its economy, and relies on foreign companies to keep them pumping. A determination to hit back hard and fast, irrespective of the consequences, may have been the result. Analysts say the army, known for brutality in the war but not for recklessness since, normally refrains from "all guns blazing" operations. 07.46 Sky Sources say that more than 10 Britons are still unaccounted for after the hostage crisis. What we know so far is that at least one Briton has been killed, along with five or more others, when Algerian helicopter gunships fired at "anything that moved" inside the compound at In Amenas. The BBC says up to 20 hostages may be unaccounted for. 07.45 GMT Good morning and welcome back to our live coverage of the Algerian hostage crisis, which, according to the Foreign Office, remains "ongoing." The terrorist incident in Algeria remains ongoing. The Prime Minister spoke twice to his Algerian counterpart, prime minister Abdelmalek Sellal, on Thursday. He chaired Cobra twice on Thursday, and will chair another meeting on Friday morning; Cobra will continue to meet as long as the crisis lasts. As the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary have said, to the best of our knowledge on the information given to us by the Algerian government, one British national has sadly been killed. We are not in a position to give further information at this time. But the Prime Minister has advised we should be prepared for bad news. Our priority will remain the safety of British nationals and their co-workers. We cannot provide any details that might endanger their lives. But we are working round-the-clock to resolve this crisis. Algeria hostage crisis: January 17 as it happened