Five civilians were killed and three hurt when militants exploded an Improvised Explosive Device at Tehsil chowk of Baramulla district in north Kashmir on Thursday, official sources said.

The explosion occurred at around 1100 hours IST, the sources said. The injured have been shifted to a hospital in Srinagar.

The site of the blast falls on the Srinagar-Uri national highway, which is used extensively by security forces' convoys. Senior police officials of the district have rushed to the spot, the sources said.

The dead have been identified as Haji Ghulam Mohammad Najar of Uri, Mohammad Sultan Najar, Mushtaq Nabi Wani, Mir Umar and Abdul Rashid, all residents of Baramulla town, the sources said. One of injured has been identified as Abdul Rahim.