Dozens wounded in Kashmir blasts

The blast destroyed windows in nearby buildings

At least 50 people have been injured in two separate explosions in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Thirty civilians were hurt in a landmine attack at the main telephone exchange in Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir.

In a second attack, 20 people were wounded when militants threw a grenade at a member of a pro-India militia in the town of Anantnag.

The grenade missed its target and exploded on crowded street.

Landmine attack

The blast at Srinagar's telephone exchange took place at 0950 local time (0420 GMT) as dozens of people queued up to pay their telephone bills.

The injured were taken to hospital

Two police officers were also wounded.

The landmine was planted on the ground floor of the building, in a window-sill.

No one has admitted causing the blast but the authorities have pointed to Kashmiri militant groups.

Eyewitnesses said the explosion blew out window panes in nearby buildings.

Soon after the attack, the area was cordoned off by security forces who began searching for the attackers.

The BBB's Altaf Hussain in Srinagar says that, in a sign of how local residents had grown used to the continuous violence, hundreds of people queued up to pay their bills again within a half hour of the explosion.

Airport infiltration

The incident comes just days after Indian soldiers foiled an attempt by separatist militants to breach security at the civilian airport in Srinagar.

A number of militants tried to infiltrate the airport disguised as security force personnel.

India has extended by another month a unilateral ceasefire it announced in November to mark the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Most militant groups have dismissed the ceasefire as a ploy.

However, the main political alliance of Kashmiri separatists, the All Party Hurriyat Conference, is attempting to persuade India to allow it to consult groups based in Pakistan as part of efforts to start a peace process in Kashmir.

India has so far ruled out any Pakistani involvement.