A land dispute between two Egyptian families erupted into gunbattles that left 10 people dead and up to 27 wounded on Thursday, police and medics said.

A police official said members of Al-Kilani clan in the village of Mit Abou el-Attar had killed a man from another family to evade granting him a share of their land, after he rid
it of thugs who had seized it by force.

The family of the dead man retaliated by killing 10 members of the Kilani clan, the official added on a customary condition of anonymity.

He said 17 people were wounded in the fighting with automatic rifles, while medics put the figure at 27. There were few further details. Gun ownership is common in the Egyptian countryside.

The village is in the province of Qalyoubiya north of Cairo.-Reuters