Coronavirus latest updates: India reports first casualty, financial markets crash

NEW DELHI: Markets across the globe crashed, cities were locked down, sporting events were cancelled, as the menace of coronavirus continued to spread in various parts of the world. In India, first coronavirus casualty was reported from Karnataka with the death of a 76-year-old man. So far there have been 75 confirmed cases in the entire country.

Here is a look at the latest updates —

Trading on both NSE and BSE freezed for 45 minutes

Spooked by the coronavirus outbreak, domestic markets witnessed another day of carnage as the indices crashed sharply in opening trade with the broader NSE Nifty touching the lower circuit of 10 per cent within 15 minutes of opening. Trading on both BSE and NSE was freezed for 45 minutes.

Steepest one-day crash in Sensex history

On Thursday, in its steepest one-day crash in history (in absolute terms), the Sensex plunged 2,919 points — outstripping its previous worst loss of 1,942 points on Monday by over a thousand points — to close at 32,778 after a bloodbath on global stock markets with the WHO declaring coronavirus a pandemic, triggering fears of a recession.

Coronavirus outbreak live updates

A nerve-wracking trading session saw the market entering bear territory, with a 20% plunge from its all-time high of 42,274 on January 20. It also hit a two-year low of 32,493 intra-day.

Coronavirus is a huge proble; the government is in a stupor: Rahul Gandhi

“I will keep repeating this. The coronavirus is a huge problem. Ignoring the problem is a non solution. The Indian economy will be destroyed if strong action is not taken. Th