Officials say a 22-year-old man was shot dead during an anti-government protest in a city near the border with Syria.

The Hatay province governor's office says Tuesday the man was shot during a demonstration in Antakya city and later died in hospital. It suggested, however, that he may have been shot by demonstrators trying to inflame tensions, saying police had been fired on during the protest.

Thousands have joined anti-government rallies across Turkey to voice discontent with the 10-year rule of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The protests, the biggest Turkey has seen in recent years, were sparked by police crackdown of a peaceful sit-in to prevent demolition of a park in Istanbul.

Another protester was reported killed in Istanbul on Monday. Officials said that death was accidental.