Srinagar: Two Border Security Force (BSF) jawans were killed and six others, including an assistant sub- inspector (ASI), injured when militants threw a grenade on their vehicle in the heart of the city.

The grenade thrown by militants landed in the BSF vehicle, which was caught in a traffic jam and exploded.

Two jawans, head constable Shamsher Singh and constable Hari Ram, succumbed to their injuries on way to hospital.

This is the first terrorist attack in the city after several months.

The condition of other injured jawans - ASI Om Prakash, head constable Ram Dass, constables Rakesh Kohli, Arjun Singh, Alok Kumar of 47 battalion and constable Daya Ram of 16 battalion - was stated to be serious, the sources said.

The sources said BSF troops cordoned off the area and launched a hunt to nab the militants involved in the grenade attack, which took place at a time when security forces have intensified patrolling in the city in connection with the forthcoming Independence Day.

The blast triggered panic in the entire area. Pedestrians were seen running helter-skelter and shopkeepers abandoned their shops and ran to safety, they said, adding traffic was also disrupted following the grenade explosion.

In another explosion, militants detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) at Hakoora village in Anantnag district of South Kashmir on August 7 morning, but none was hurt, they said.

The IED was set off when a security vehicle was passing the road. However, the vehicle escaped the blast, the sources added.

PTI