Coca-Cola Office Petrol Bombed By Students

An attack on Coca-Cola offices in southern Mexico by protesting students has left 10 injured.

Government officials say that policemen, reporters and demonstrators were among those injured when police fired tear gas on a crowd of trainee teachers who were throwing stones and petrol bombs.

The violence in the southern state of Guerrero was sparked by the arrest of three students accused of looting drinks from Coca-Cola trucks on Wednesday.

According to local media, a group of students responded to the arrests by attacking the company's offices and abducting two of its employees.

The workers were held hostage at a protest camp in the state capital Chilpancingo, but were later released.

The Coca Cola Femsa company - Mexico's largest Coke bottler - confirmed the kidnapping and release, but did not give any information about the conditions surrounding the freeing of its workers.

Local media, however, claimed the employees were handed over in exchange for the release of the arrested students.

Coca-Cola delivery trucks have been hijacked and drinks stolen by demonstrating students angered by the disappearance of 43 teacher training college students in September.

It is thought that local police took the students from the city of Iguala and handed them over to a drug gang that allegedly killed them and burned their remains.