At the time of the attack on Wednesday (January 16), there were 18 BP employees at In Amenas. “Of our employees at the site, 14 are now confirmed safe and secure. Two have sustained injuries, but these are not life-threatening. However, so far, neither the authorities on the ground, international governments nor BP have been able to confirm the location or status of four of our employees,” BP said in a statement made available to Indonesia Today Saturday (Jan 19).
In Amenas is a joint venture gas project, owned and managed by a joint venture consisting of the Algerian state oil and gas company Sonatrach, Statoil and BP. It is located in the eastern central region of Algeria, about 60 km west of the Libyan border. Citizens of more than 25 countries work at In Amenas.
It is a large operation with a significant workforce. At any one time there might be a workforce of 500-700 on the In Amenas site. The great majority of these are Algerian nationals working directly for the joint venture, and for Sonatrach and contracting companies. (Indonesia Today)