Thousands of protesters shut down major streets in Acapulco, Mexico on Friday, demanding the safe return of 43 students from a rural teaching college who went missing on Sept. 26.

SEE ALSO: Questions Remain Over Missing Students as Protests Escalate in Mexico

A caravan of more than 20 buses from the college joined other protesters from the state's teachers' union for the peaceful demonstration, three weeks after the students were reportedly taken away by local police and members of a drug gang.

The government has been combing the hills of the state of Guerrero with horseback patrols and is sending divers to look in lakes and dams for the missing youths. In total, 19 mass graves have been found near the city of Iguala since federal officials began their search.

Mexico's attorney general, Jesus Murillo Karam, announced Tuesday that 28 bodies found in several of the mass graves were not the missing students, suggesting they may still be found alive.

Protesters are holding out hope, and have pledged to blockade city halls and "paralyze the country" until they are found.

"They were taken alive, and we want them back alive" was the most common refrain on Friday's protests, according to CNN.



The case has underscored the rampant violence and corruption in Mexico, and many are calling for government officials to step down in the wake of the scandal. The mayor of Iguala, Jose Luis Abarca, has not been seen in public since the day the students disappeared; some observers suggest he was responsible for the incident. Abarca was formally impeached on Friday.

Protesters are also calling for Aguirre Rivero, the governor of the state of Guerrero, to resign.




http://mashable.com/2014/10/17/thousands-march-in-mexico-to-demand-justice-for-missing-students/