STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Algeria: About 685 Algerian workers and 107 foreigners are freed
- Algeria has not specified the nationalities of hostages killed
- Among the 32 militants killed, only three were Algerians, officials say
(CNN) -- The hostage crisis in eastern Algeria is over, but the questions remain.
Among them, exactly how many people are unaccounted for at a remote natural gas facility after three days of chaos that ended Saturday, leaving 23 hostages and dozens of Islamist militants dead.
Some 685 Algerian workers and 107 foreigners were freed, the Algerian interior ministry said.
The White House, in a statement Saturday night, said it remained in close contact with the Algerian government to "gain a fuller understanding of what took place."
The State Department, meanwhile, warned against travel to Algeria.
In the United Kingdom, British Foreign Secretary William Hague echoed the White House's remarks, saying his government too was "working hard to get definitive information" about each individual.
Americans and Britons were among those held hostage, as were workers from various other nations.
Algeria has not specified the nationalities of the hostages killed.
Japan, for example, said Sunday that 10 of its nationals were yet to be confirmed safe.
"As such, we are taking the government announcement that there were multiple Japanese killed extremely seriously," said a spokesman for JGC Corp., an engineering firm that was involved in gas production in In Amenas.
Algeria said that among the 32 militants killed, only three were Algerians; the rest were from other countries.
In a statement Saturday, the Algerian interior ministry said the military found a number of "foreign military uniforms" in its sweep of the facility to clear it of mines planted by militants.
Raids turn deadly
Militants in pickup trucks struck the sprawling gas complex in In Amenas at dawn Wednesday, gathered the Westerners who worked there into a group and tied them up.
The plant is run by Algeria's state oil company, in cooperation with foreign firms such as Norway's Statoil and Britain's BP -- and as such, employed workers from several foreign countries.
The kidnappers wielded AK-47 rifles and put explosive-laden vests on some hostages, according to a U.S. State Department official.
Algeria said the attack was in retaliation for allowing France to use Algerian airspace for an offensive against Islamist militants in neighboring Mali.
But regional analysts believe it was too sophisticated to have been planned in days.
The next day, Algerian special forces moved in because the government said the militants wanted to flee for Mali.
The Islamic extremists also planned to blow up the gas installation, and rigged it with mines throughout, the U.S. official said.
Thursday's military incursion succeeded in freeing some hostages -- but not all.
Some survivors described their harrowing escapes by rigging up disguises, sneaking to safety with locals, and in at least one case, running for his life with plastic explosives strapped around his neck.
Several hostages died. And the Algerian military came under criticism from some quarters for unnecessarily endangering the lives of the hostages.
Undeterred, government followed with a second push Saturday. That assault killed the remaining hostage-takers, but resulted in more hostage deaths.
The army intervened "to avoid a bloody turning point of events in this extremely dangerous situation," the Algerian interior ministry said Saturday.
"It was clear that the terrorists were determined to escape the country with the captives, and to bomb the gas installations."
British Defense Secretary Philip Hammond called the loss of life "appalling and unacceptable," but laid the blame solely on the terrorists.
Now, individual nations are scrambling to find out what happened to their citizens. It is not clear how many hostages were seized by the Islamist militants in the first place.
Colombia
Colombia's president said a citizen was presumed dead.
France
There are no known French hostages unaccounted for, the defense ministry said Saturday.
One man -- identified as Yann Desjeux -- died after telling the French newspaper Sud Ouest on Thursday that he and 34 other hostages of nine different nationalities were well-treated.
Japan
There are still 10 Japanese who have yet to be confirmed safe, JGC -- the engineering firm -- said Sunday.
Malaysia
Three hostages were on their way back to Malaysia, the country's state-run news agency said Sunday. But there is a "worrying possibility" that another is dead while a fifth is unaccounted for, the agency said.
Norway
Five Norwegians are missing while eight are safe, Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg said.
Romania
One Romanian lost his life, the country's foreign ministry said Saturday. Four other Romanians were freed.
United Kingdom
Five British nationals and one UK resident are missing or feared dead, Hague said Saturday. This is in addition to one Briton, whose death was previously announced.
The Scottish government said eight of its residents are safe.
United States
At least one American, identified as Frederick Buttaccio, is among the dead, the State Department said. Six freed Americans left Algeria and one remained.
At least 55 dead in gas plant siege
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At least 55 dead in gas plant siege
