Mumbai, March 9 -- The frontline equity benchmarks traded with major losses in the mid-afternoon trade as sentiment remained weak amid escalating West Asia tensions, raised concerns over LNG supply disruptions, surging crude prices, inflationary pressures, and global growth uncertainty.

The Nifty traded below the 23,950 mark. Metal shares declined for the second consecutive trading session.

At 14:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, dropped 1,747.60 points or 2.22% to 77,170.81. The Nifty 50 index fell 548.65 points or 2.21% to 23,907.35.

In the broader market, the BSE 150 MidCap Index tumbled 2.54% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index slumped 2.98%.

The market breadth was weak. On the BSE, 765 shares rose and 3,514 shares fell...