Thousands march in Mexico to mark disappearance of 43 students

Thousands of protesters have marched through Mexico City to mark the one-year anniversary of the disappearance of 43 students.

The students from a radical teachers college disappeared on 26 September 2014 after clashing with police in the southern Mexican city of Iguala. Six people were killed by police during the disturbance.

The former attorney general said local police had illegally detained the students, before turning them over to the local drug gang Guerreros Unidos. The gang allegedly killed them and cremated their remains.

Independent human rights experts have since disputed the official version of events, saying the supposed funeral pyre could not have been in the small area prosecutors claimed it did.

The parents of the missing students led the demonstration in silence. They have called for a new investigation under international supervision to find out what happened to their children.

“If they are betting on us getting tired, they’re wrong,” said Mario Cesar Gonzalez, the father of a missing student.

More than 25,000 people disappeared in Mexico between 2007 and 31 July 2015, according to the government. Most disappear without trace.