Two hunters have managed to escape from assailants who shot dead seven of their counterparts in the southern Russian republic of Kabardino-Balkaria, a spokesman for the united information center of the republic's law enforcement agencies said on Saturday.
He dismissed an earlier report which said that eight hunters were killed.
Investigators have already identified four of the killed hunters, all of them were residents of Dagestan and Stavropol Territory, a spokesman for the republic's investigative committee said.
The hunters were attacked by four assailants armed with automatic weapons. The gunmen have taken two cars belonging to the hunters. All measures to arrest the thugs have been taken.
Specialists from the Russian investigative committee have taken off for Kabardino-Balkaria to help their colleagues, Vladimir Markin, spokesman for the committee said.
This is the second mass slaughter of hunters in the republic. In November 2007 the bodies of nine hunters were uncovered in a wooded area in Kabardino-Balkaria. The hunters were killed after running across a militant group.
Several militants related to this crime were later killed in a special operation.
NALCHIK, December 18 (RIA Novosti)
