Mumbai, June 18 -- Indian equity benchmarks extended their gains for a fifth straight session Thursday with the Sensex closing above 77,000 and the Nifty ending at 24,168, supported by easing crude oil prices and sustained buying interest across key sectors.

The BSE Sensex settled at 77,409.98, up 254.36 points or 0.33 per cent, while the NSE Nifty 50 gained 82.30 points or 0.34 per cent to close at 24,168.

Most sectoral indices ended in the green, led by gains in realty, healthcare, chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Banking stocks also remained supportive, while the IT pack emerged as the top laggard, with Nifty IT declining over 1 per cent.

Among the top gainers on the BSE were IndiGo, Trent, NTPC, BEL, HDFC Bank, SBI, Power Grid, Adani...