Police in Indian-administered Kashmir say two people have been killed and another three wounded in a suspected militant attack on Hindu pilgrims.

The incident happened when a grenade was thrown at a taxi south of Srinagar on its way to the Amarnath cave shrine.

All the victims were pilgrims - except for one of the dead, who was the taxi driver.

The pilgrims came from the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

This is the first such incident since the annual pilgrimage to the cave shrine began earlier in July.

It happened in spite of heavy security arrangements all along the 350 kilometre-long route of the pilgrimage from the winter capital, Jammu, up to the cave temple.

Previous attacks

In the past, such attacks have failed to deter the pilgrims from visiting the shrine.

At least 13 people were killed when suspected militants attacked the pilgrimage last year.

Tens of thousands of Hindus make their way up to the shrine of Lord Shiva at the Amarnath caves, some 14,000 feet (4,270m) above Jammu in the Himalayan mountains, every July and August.

More than 90,000 pilgrims from different parts of India have registered themselves for the pilgrimage this year.