Mumbai, March 30 -- The domestic equity benchmarks traded with major losses in the mid- afternoon trade, as the escalating war between Iran and the U.S.-Israel alliance reignited a surge in crude oil prices and heightened global market volatility.

The Nifty traded below the 22,450 mark. Financial Services shares extended losses for second consecutive trading session.

At 14:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex plunged 1,505.35 points or 2.05% to 72,077.87. The Nifty 50 index tumbled 393.75 points or 1.73% to 22,425.85.

The broader market underperformed the frontline indices. The BSE 150 MidCap Index slipped 2.19% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index fell 2.29%.

Sellers outnumbered buyers. On the BSE, 869 shares rose and 3,495 sh...