Mumbai/IBNS, March 4 -- The Indian stock market crashed sharply on Wednesday, tracking escalating tensions in the Middle East following the joint US-Israel attack on Iran last weekend, media reports said.

Though the indices recovered slightly during the session, the Sensex was still down nearly 1,300 points, with the Nifty trading over 400 points lower.

The selloff mirrored heavy losses in global markets, with Wall Street closing in the red on Tuesday amid rising geopolitical concerns.

The Bank Nifty slid 2%, led by sharp declines in Axis Bank, State Bank of India (SBI), and Bank of Baroda (BoB). Infosys, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), and HCLTech were among the few early gainers.

As investors moved away from riskier assets, safe-h...