The violence that has wracked Nicaragua since anti-government protests erupted in mid-April has spread to Granada, one of the country's principal tourism destinations.

Two people were killed Tuesday in the colonial town on the shores of Lake Nicaragua. Its city hall was also set on fire and some shops were looted.

The non-governmental Nicaraguan Human Rights Center says the death toll since the start of the unrest is 129.

In Washington, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on Wednesday put the death toll at 127. Executive secretary Paulo Abrao said it plans to send a group of independent experts to investigate.

Protests have continued across Nicaragua since President Daniel Ortega announced austerity measures for the social security system, which he later withdrew. Demonstrators have been calling for Ortega's exit.