Mexico City, Oct 18 (IANS): Thousands of protesters have marched through Mexico's Pacific coastal resort of Acapulco demanding justice for 43 missing college students.

The students from a rural teachers college went missing Sep 26 following a clash with police linked with drug gang members in the city of Iguala, which along with Acapulco is located in the violence-torn state of Guerrero, Xinhua reported.

Some 7,000 protesters marched along the resort's main coastal boulevard Friday, demanding the return of the students and the ouster of state Governor Angel Aguirre.

The marchers held the governor responsible for allowing drug violence and corruption to spiral out of control in Guerrero.

The governor has refused to step down.

The mayor of Iguala, Jose Luis Abarca Velazquez, who fled Sep 30, was stripped of his office by the state legislature for his links to a local drug trafficking ring and for his role in the attack on the students.