Foreigners abducted by Islamist militants in Algeria

Algerian security officials say two people have been killed and several foreigners abducted in an attack on a gas facility near In Amenas in the east of the country.

Islamist militants allied to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb have said they carried out the attack.

They claim to have seized six people. Their nationalities are unclear.

The oil giant BP says a gas field it runs in partnership with Norwegians and Algerians was attacked.

Six people, including two foreigners, are reported to have been injured in the raid.

The UK foreign office said it could confirm that British nationals had been "caught up in a terrorist incident" and that the British embassy in Algiers was liaising with the local authorities. It did not say how many people were affected.

The Irish Foreign Minister, Eamon Gilmore, said one of its nationals had been abducted, adding that his government was "ready to use all the resources available to us to ensure that our citizen is released as soon as possible".

A Japanese contractor at gas facility, JGC Corp, says Japanese staff have been seized, according to Japanese media.

The wife of a Norwegian gas worker also told a newspaper that he was among those seized.

The militants are led by Mokhtar Belmokhtar, who used to be a senior commander of AQIM before setting up his own armed Islamist group last year after an apparent fallout with other militant leaders.

Islamist militants in the region have in recent years seized a number of foreigners, mainly in Mali. Eight French nationals are currently being held across the region.