Mexican protesters torch government building

A local government building in Chilpancingo, the capital of Mexico's southern state of Guerro, was attacked by hundreds of protesting teachers and students on Monday, demanding the resignation of Governor Angel Aguirre and release of 43 students who have been missing since September.

Demonstrators allowed workers to leave the government complex before ransacking the complex - breaking the windows and setting the building on fire.

According to witnesses, the missing students were taken away by police following the clashes in the nearby town Iguala on September 26 and have not been seen since. The case has caused outrage amongst the Mexican and international population amid fears that their bodies may have been buried in 10 newly-discovered mass graves outside Iguala.

Over the weekend, Mexico's president Enrique Pena Nieto addressed the nation in a televised speech, promising to identify and punish those responsible for the students' disappearance.

Gang-crime

Over 20 local police officers were detained following the clashes on September 26, sparking further concerns about widespread police links with organized crime.

The Guerreros Unidos gang has also previously been linked to the family of Iguala's Mayor Jose Luis Abarca Velazquez, who went into hiding with his wife and head of security following the disappearance of the 43 students.

German student shot

Late on sunday, a German student, Kim Fritz Kaiser, was also shot by a state anti-kidnap unit in a case of apparent mistaken identity. Kaiser is currently under medical observation and is said to be in a stable condition.

ksb/glb (AP, AFP)