Two tourists have died and four other people were wounded after being stabbed at a beach resort in Egypt.

All the victims of the incident on a beach in the Red Sea resort town of Hurghada were female.

Officials said the assailant swam to the beach before attacking the tourists.

A suspect has been arrested. The motive for the attack is not yet known.

The tourists who died were Ukrainian, the Interior Ministry confirmed.

It said the injured tourists were rushed to a local hospital but gave no further details and did not provide their nationalities.

Hurghada is one of Egypt's most popular beach resorts, particularly with Ukrainians and European tourists.

Security has been tightened in tourist resorts around the country as the industry is a major revenue stream for Egypt.

The attack came after five police officers were shot dead in Cairo's twin city of Giza when suspected Islamic militants opened fire on their vehicle early on Friday morning.

In January 2016, three tourists in Hurghada were wounded in a stabbing attack by two assailants with apparent Islamic State group sympathies.