At least 15 people were injured when militants exploded a grenade in Awantipora in Jammu and Kashmir's [Images] Pulwama district on Thursday, official sources said.

Unidentified militants lobbed a grenade on a CRPF patrol at Awantipora chowk, 30 kms from Srinagar [Images] on Srinagar-Jammu national highway, around 1215 IST, they said.

The grenade caused splinter injuries to two Central Reserve Police Force jawans and 13 civilians, they added.

Police and security forces rushed the injured to nearby hospitals, the sources said, adding, a hunt has also been launched to nab the militants involved in the attack.

Shops remained closed and traffic came to a standstill on the highway following the blast, they said. However, order was restored soon after police intensified patrolling in the area, the sources added.

No militant outfit has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.