At least seven people were shot dead during protests in Malawi's northern city of Mzuzu on Wednesday, a senior church official has told the BBC. Rev Maurice Munthali said he could again hear gunfire on Thursday and there was a heavy presence of security forces on the streets. A police spokeswoman could only confirm one death but Rev Munthali said he had seen the bodies in the mortuary. The protesters are angry at price rises and President Bingu wa Mutharika. He is due to address the nation shortly as a group of civil society groups - which organised the protests - said Malawi was facing its worst political and economic crisis since independence 47 years ago. The government recently passed an austerity budget, raising taxes to reduce dependence on aid after many donors cut funding. Donors accuse Malawi of mishandling the economy and failing to uphold human rights. The protest broke out in several cities but the deaths occurred in Mzuzu, some 300km (185 miles) north of the capital, Lilongwe. "I'm actually in the mortuary identifying the bodies," Rev Munthali deputy Secretary General of the Church of the Central Africa Presbyterian told the BBC's Raphael Tenthani in Blantyre. "It's very sad." He said that some of those in hospital had not been demonstrating but were caught in crossfire. Police spokeswoman Norah Chimwala confirmed one death and more than 10 gun-shot injuries. She could not confirm if the police had caused the death.