Romania Protest Day 2: Thousands Join Protests Despite PM Ponta's Resignation

Thousands have joined a march in the Romanian capital Bucharest, hours after Prime Minister Victor Ponta resigned over a deadly nightclub fire.

The protesters, numbering at least 10,000, are demanding early elections and further political reform.
Rallies are also said to be taking place in cities across the country.

It comes a day after some 20,000 demonstrators spontaneously took to the streets of the capital, angry over the deaths of 32 people in Friday's fire.
Concerns that safety was compromised because of corruption, a long-standing issue in Romania, have fuelled public anger against the political elite, including Mr Ponta.

Mr Ponta, who is currently facing trial on corruption charges, said in a television address that he hoped his government's resignation would "satisfy the people who came out in the streets".
The mayor of the district of Bucharest where the nightclub fire occurred and the country's Interior Minister Gabriel Oprea also stepped down today Wednesday.

One protester's banner reads: "You can't manipulate us" and "Corruption kills"

For a second consecutive night, protesters started gathering late on Wednesday in University Square, a hub for anti-government rallies in central Bucharest.
AP said 10,000 people were protesting, but Reuters put the figure as high as 15,000.
They marched toward parliament, AP reports, with protesters urging others to join in as they went, shouting "Get out of your homes if you care'' and "Don't be afraid, the country is rising up".