CAIRO, March 4 (Reuters) - At least 10 Egyptians were shot dead on Tuesday and up to 27 others wounded in a gunbattle following a dispute over ownership of a plot of agricultural land in rural Egypt, security sources said.

They said that the gunfight broke out between two groups of armed private security men -- employed by two rival associations that both claim ownership of the plot -- when one side tried to take the land by force from the other.

One security source said at least 10 private security men had been killed in the fight in the Beheira province in northern Egypt over a 500 acre (200 hectares) plot. Another security source put the number of dead at 14.

Land disputes are not uncommon in Egypt, where arable land is limited to a thin sliver along the Nile and the river delta in the north. But conflicts rarely lead to this many casualties. Many absentee landlords hire armed guards to drive out or prevent squatters from settling on the land. (Writing by Cynthia Johnston; Editing Caroline Drees)