At least eight persons were injured, two of them critically, in a powerful hand grenade explosion in south Kashmir's Bejibehara town late on Sunday afternoon.
 
A senior police officer said militants hurled a grenade in the main market in the highway town of Bejibehara in south Kashmir's Anantnag district, 54 kms from Srinagar late on Sunday afternoon. The grenade exploded under a passing car, injuring all the four occupants and four bystanders.
 
"The vehicle caught fire and

was extensively damaged," he said.
 
The officer told rediff.com that the injured were immediately taken to the hospital for treatment. The condition of two of the victims is reportedly critical.
 
Security forces immediately surrounded the area and they have launched massive searches.
 
The explosion led to disruption of traffic on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway.
 
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the blast.