4 injured in grenade blast in J&K

At least 4 persons were injured after a grenade, hurled by militants at a security forces vehicle, missed the target and exploded inside their car on Jammu-Srinagar national highway in Anantnag district, officials said.

"The ultras lobbed a grenade in Bijbehara which hit a private car. Four persons were injured in the incident," inspector general of police Kashmir SM Sahai said.

The injured were rushed to SMHS hospital in Srinagar. One of the injured was referred to superspecialty SKIMS Hospital at Soura, officials said.

As the car had caught fire soon after the explosion, the police earlier looked into the possibility of bursting of a gas cylinder inside the car, they said.

However, the splinters removed from the bodies of the injured persons confirmed that it was a grenade blast.

The officials said the intended target of the militants was probably a security forces vehicle passing through Bijbehara town, 45 kms from here, but the grenade landed inside the civilian vehicle.

The vehicle was completely gutted as it caught fire after the explosion but the persons in the car were removed from it in the nick of time, they added.