MOSCOW - Six people died and one went blind after drinking a poisonous liquid in Russian's northwest Novgorod region, the local branch of the Investigative Committee said Tuesday.

The group of residents, aged between 28 and 42, had drunk windscreen washing liquid during celebrations in the village of Lubytino, investigators said, adding the survivor, a woman, remained in a critical condition in hospital after losing her sight.

According to Russian statistic agency Rosstat, more than 8,000 Russians died in 2013 from drinking alcohol or its substitutes.