Abdulhussein al-Jaberi, the health chief for Dhi Qar province, told AFP that another five protesters and 11 security force members were wounded in the latest clashes.

For a second day, angry crowds had gathered across Iraqi cities to protest unemployment, corruption and poor public services, in a rare leaderless movement.

On Tuesday, security forces in Baghdad confronted crowds with water cannons, tear gas, rubber bullets and live fire, leaving two dead and more than 200 wounded.

Demonstrations in Nasiriyah on Tuesday also left one dead.

The violence prompted frantic calls for calm from Iraq's president and the United Nations, but protesters descended into the streets again on Wednesday.

In addition to Baghdad and Nasiriyah, crowds also gathered in the holy city of Najaf and the flashpoint southern city of Basra, which was rocked by protests last year.