Police are investigating the nature of the explosive used in the incident. (Representational)
Two people, including a teenage boy, were injured in an explosion along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway near Banihal town in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said on Saturday.
The blast occurred at MG Construction site around 11:15 pm on Friday, they said, terming the incident as an "act of sabotage".
"Prima facie it looks like an act of sabotage. The intensity of the blast and the target area indicate that the blast was carried out to cause maximum injury," Senior Superintendent of Police, Ramban, PD Nitya said.
Two people, Gopal Sharma, 35, of Udhampur and Mohammad Aquib, 16, of Mangit-Khari, were injured in the blast. They were shifted to a hospital, where their condition is stated to be stable, police said.
MG Company is constructing the Banihal bypass, a portion of the four-lane Jammu-Srinagar highway project.
"There was confusion earlier whether it was a grenade blast or a gas cylinder explosion. We rushed to the scene and started our investigation, which revealed that an explosive substance was used to trigger the blast," the SSP said.
However, she said police are investigating the nature of the explosive used in the incident.
Mr Sharma was hit by splinters, while the boy, a student of a Madrassa (religious school), suffered minor injuries due to broken glass, she said, adding that the Madrassa is located just 100 meters from the site of the explosion and some of its window panes shattered under the impact of the explosion.
Nitya said the investigation is still at the initial stages and efforts are on to unravel the mystery and bring the culprits to book.
Officials said the blast was so powerful that its sound was heard in a five-km radius from the scene.
Meanwhile, the SSP said a road opening party of security forces recovered a detonator and a piece of company explosive (galantine stick) from a nearby area on Saturday morning.
"The hazardous material was found placed on the roadside in a careless manner...We have taken cognizance of the same and a case under relevant sections of law was registered for a thorough probe," she said.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)