At least two masked assassins shot 45 people to death and wounded six at a wedding in a village in southeast Turkey, authorities said.

The massacre was seen as one of the worst killings of civilians in Turkey's modern era. By late Monday, 16 bodies and three wounded people had been taken to a public hospital in the city of Mardin, Turkey, the Wall Street Journal reported. Among the dead were six children under 10 and six women.

Witnesses said two men broke into the house wearing masks, hurling grenades and opening fire on the guests for 15 minutes. Some reports say there were four men. All escaped before soldiers surrounded the village and cut access to the road, Reuters reports.

Investigations are ongoing, but local television reported that the reason for the killings could be and old feud between two rival groups.

The families of the bride and groom included members of the Village Guard, a heavily armed militia that fights Kurdish separatists, local media said.