CAIRO, Sept 4 (Reuters) - An Egyptian policeman was shot dead and another wounded on Wednesday at a checkpoint in the southern town of Aswan, the Interior Ministry said, in what appeared to be a revenge killing.

The attack was carried out by relatives of a man killed earlier in an exchange of fire with police at the checkpoint.

The man had tried to avoid the police by reversing at speed away from the checkpoint, an Interior Ministry statement said.

Aswan is around 900 km (560 miles) south of Cairo on the River Nile.

(Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Kevin Liffey)