In pictures: Bhopal gas leak disaster remembered

Protest rallies have been held in Bhopal, central India, to mark 25 years since the city witnessed the world's worst industrial disaster.

Woman at a protest in Bhopal, India (3 December 2009)

The protesters are angry that no one has ever been held to account for the disaster, which led to the deaths of at least 15,000 people.

Women at a protest in Bhopal, India (3 December 2009)

Official figures say about 3,000 people died in the hours immediately after tonnes of deadly gas leaked from a US-owned factory. Local people put the number at closer to 8,000.

Mother and child at a rally in Bhopal, India (3 December 2009)

They say the effects of the accident are still being felt, with an unusually high rate of illness in the city and with children born many years after the event suffering birth defects and growth deficiencies.

Umbrellas at a protest in Bhopal, India (3 December 2009)

In total, up to 20,000 people have died in the years after the leak, as a direct result of the chemicals they were exposed to. Another 600,000 people have suffered illnesses.

An effigy burning at a protest in Bhopal, India (3 December 2009)

Protesters set fire to an effigy of Warren Anderson, who was the CEO of Union Carbide, which owned the factory at the time of the disaster.

Posters at a protest in Bhopal, India (3 December 2009)

Union Carbide gave the Indian government $470m in 1989 in an out-of-court settlement, but the company has never faced trial. The victims each received about £1,000 in compensation.

Hindu holy man in at a rally in Bhopal, India

Events have been held throughout the week of the anniversary, with a memorial service to remember the victims being held early on Thursday.

Protest rally around a memorial statue in Bhopal, India

On the eve of the anniversary, survivors, local people and activists held a torch-lit protest in the city, converging on a memorial statue outside the now abandoned factory.

They have refused to believe statement by Dow Chemicals, which now owns Union Carbide, that it is safe to live alongside the site of the former pesticides factory.