At least two people have been killed and thousands injured as Turkey is rocked by its biggest wave of anti-government protests in years police start use rubber bullet.

A 22-year-old member of a youth political party has died after being shot during anti-government protests, officials say.

The Union of Turkish Doctors confirmed the death of 22-year-old Abdullah Cömert in the city of  Antakya in the province of Hatay, near Turkey’s border with Syria. The death would mark the second to be confirmed since protests flared up on Friday in Istanbul and across Turkey.  According to news reports Cömert died of injuries sustained after being shot by unidentified gunmen, though many users via social media were placing the blame on local police forces.

It suggested, however, that he may have been shot by demonstrators trying to inflame tensions, saying police had been fired on during the protest.

Hasan Akgol, a key member of the opposition Republican People’s Party, told the television station that the man was a member of the youth branch.

His death follows that of a 20-year-old named by the Turkish Doctor’s Association as 20-year-old Mehmet Ayyalitas.

He died after a taxi slammed into a crowd in Istanbul on Monday. The government’s office insisted the man’s death was accidental.

Eight people hurt in Ankara were also in critical condition.

Thousands have joined the 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.

Mr Erdogan has rejected protesters’ demands he resign and claims the unrest is the work of Turkey’s opposition.

He branded the demonstrators “extremists” in a move likely to further inflame the situation in the country.

Turkish riot police fired more tear gas at protesters on a fourth night of violent clashes in Ankara and Istanbul.

In Istanbul, clouds of tear gas in the Besiktas area forced protesters to run for cover. Riot police deployed water cannon to keep protesters back.

In Ankara, demonstrators chanted for Mr Erdogan – whom critics say has become increasingly authoritarian – to resign.

But Mr Erdogan rejects such criticism and says the protests will subside: “The situation is a lot calmer now and reason seems to be prevailing. I think things will return to normal.”

Following the reaction of authorities, Turkey’s public sector workers union have started a two-day strike to protest against what they have condemned as “state terror” against the demonstrations.

The strike by the 240,000-member Confederation of Public Workers’ Unions (KESK) is likely to affect schools, universities and public offices throughout the country.

A statement on its website said: “The state terror implemented against entirely peaceful protests is continuing in a way that threatens civilians’ life safety.”

Turkey’s stock exchange dropped 10.5% on Monday over concerns about the destabilising effect of the protests.

The Obama administration has voiced concern over the crackdown on protesters, urging authorities to exercise restraint.

Secretary of State John Kerry, who has traveled to Turkey three times since becoming America’s top diplomat, said the US was following the situation closely and was troubled by reports of excessive force by the police.

The Foreign Office has advised British tourists to avoid the demonstrations. It also advises against all but essential travel to areas close to the Syrian border and warns of a “high threat” from terrorism.

Some 1,700 people were arrested nationwide but most have now been released, according to Interior Minister Muammer Guler, who estimated the cost of the protests to be more than 20m liras (£6.55m).

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