Six protesters were wounded on Sunday as they tried to storm the main provincial government building in the southern Iraqi city of Basra, Arab paper Al-Hayat reports, citing the local health department. Police fired live rounds in the air during the clashes. Water cannons and tear gas were also deployed. The protesters, who were rallying against poor public services and corruption, had made a similar attempt on the government building on Saturday, but were driven away, with seven people hurt in the process. Oil-rich Basra is one of the southern Iraqi cities that has recently witnessed mass protests over the dire state of the nation’s economy. The government had placed its security forces on high alert, deploying extra troops in the southern provinces. In total, three people have been killed in protests across Iraq over the past week.