MOSCOW: A man has been detained after shooting dead eight people in a drunken dispute at a weekend cottage in a village outside Moscow, Russian investigators said Sunday.
The alleged assailant gunned down five men and three women after a drinking session on Saturday night turned violent in the village of Redkino, some 110 kilometres (70 miles) northwest of Moscow, the Investigative Committee said.
"During the get-together there was a domestic dispute between the guests, after which the suspect left and then returned with a hunting rifle," investigators said in a statement, adding that the man had been "drinking spirits".
"He fired several shots, as a result of which at least eight people died."
Investigators said the shooter -- a resident of Moscow born in 1974 -- was detained on suspicion of mass murder after survivors managed to call the police. – AFP