Mumbai, March 2 -- The key equity benchmarks traded with substantial losses in the mid-afternoon trade adopted a risk-off approach amid escalating geopolitical tensions following the US-Israel attacks on Iran. Traders are closely monitoring crude oil and metal prices. The Nifty slipped below the 24,800 level, reflecting weak market sentiment.

Media shares declined after advancing in the past trading session.

At 14:25 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex tanked 1,351.91 points or 1.66% to 79,911.22. The Nifty 50 index tumbled 420.15 points or 1.67% to 24,762.05.

In the broader market, the BSE 150 MidCap Index declined 1.79% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index slipped 2.32%.

The market breadth was negative. On the BSE, 612 shares ros...