The Japanese government on late Wednesday confirmed that two more Japanese nationals were killed in the hostage crisis in Algeria, raising the Japanese death toll in the crisis to nine and leaving one still missing.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga released the confirmation at a press conference, saying the government will take every measure to find the whereabouts of the Japanese who remains unaccounted for.

The two victims, along with other seven that confirmed dead on Monday, were employees of Japan Gasoline Company (JGC), which has a total of 17 Japanese nationals working at the gas plant seized by Islamic militants in the North African country.

The JGC confirmed earlier that seven out of the 17 people are in safe condition.

An aircraft of the Japan's Self-Defense Forces left for Algiers, the capital of Algeria, to bring the dead and the seven survivors back to home. Endi