New Delhi  - India's benchmark stock market index Sensex plunged by over 5 per cent within an hour of opening Wednesday following global cues.

The 30-share index of the Bombay Stock Exchange opened with a huge gap of about 4 per cent on the previous days close and slipped further on fears that foreign institutional investors may withdraw funds.

The Sensex lost more than 5.41 per cent and was trading at 11,000-points level while the broader 50-share Nifty of the National Stock Exchange was trading at around 3400-points, down by about 5.25 points. (dpa)