Two more employees of Norwegian energy firm Statoil have been "brought to safety" in Algeria, leaving six unaccounted for at a gas facility attacked by gunmen, Chief Executive Helge Lund said on Saturday, Jan 19, Reuters reported.

"We can never lose hope ... bringing home our employees is our primary goal," Lund told a news conference. It was not immediately clear how the pair reached safety.

State-controlled Statoil, which is evacuating all non essential personnel from various Algerian facilities, has so far taken 51 employees out of the country. The six employees, whose fate is not yet clear, are all Norwegian nationals.