ANKARA, May 6 (RIA Novosti) - A court in the Turkish city of Mardin has sanctioned the arrest of eight suspects in the killing 44 people at a wedding celebration in southeast Turkey, local governor Hasan Duruer said on Wednesday.

The charges laid against the detainees have not been disclosed.

The attack was carried out on Monday evening by as many as six masked men with automatic weapons in the village of Bilge in the Kurdish region of the country. Six children and 16 women were among the dead.

Police detained 12 people in connection with the shooting on Tuesday, with two released later in the day. The court has not yet made a ruling on the remaining two detainees.

The incident is thought to be part of a blood feud between rival families, although prosecutors are thoroughly investigating all scenarios.