New Delhi - India's benchmark Sensex fell 3.68 per cent Thursday for its seventh-straight losing session on heavy selling sparked by drops in the US and Asian markets.

The 30-share Sensitive Index of the Bombay Stock Exchange, which had lost more than 1,750 points over the past six sessions, fell by another 322.77 to close at 8,451.01.

Sectoral indices - including consumer durables, oil and gas, metals and banking - lost more than 4 per cent each. The major contributors to the decline were real estate major DLF, telecommunications company RCom and ICICI Bank.

Similarly, the broader 50-share Nifty index of the National Stock Exchange also dipped 81.85 points, or 3.11 per cent, to 2,553.15.

Weakness in the US market, where the key Dow Jones Industrial Average tanked 5.07 per cent Wednesday, impacted the Indian bourses, market analysts said. (dpa)