Mumbai, June 23 -- The key equity indices continued to trade with significant losses in the morning trade as U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend heightened Middle East tensions and spooked investors.

IT shares slipped after advancing for the past consecutive trading session. The Nifty traded below the 24,900 level.

p>

At 10:29 ST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, slumped 709.42 points or 0.86% to 81,699.17. The Nifty 50 index tanked 216.60 points or 0.86% to 24,895.10.

The broader market outperformed the frontline indices. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index shed 0.22% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index fell 0.13%.

The market breadth was negative. On the BSE, 1,429 shares rose and 2,207 shares fell. A total of 225 sh...