The Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex on Tuesday lost over 252 points and dipped below 16,000 points level in early trade on funds selling in heavy-weight stocks, triggered by weak global markets.
  
 The 30-share index, which had lost 352.39 points in volatile session yesterday, fell further by 252.81 points to 15,810.37 points in the first five minutes of trade.

The wide-based National Stock Exchange index's Nifty moved down by 85.05 points to 4,654.55.

Marketmen said reports of weakening trends in global stock markets and fears of an imminent hike in fuel prices dampened the trading sentiments here.

At the US stock markets, Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 1.08 per cent while the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite fell 1.23 per cent.

Major losers which dragged Sensex down were Larsen and Toubro, BHEL, Reliance Industries, Reliance Infrastructure, State Bank of India, Satyam Computers, Infosys Technologies, Tata Steel, ICICI Bank, ITC Ltd and HDFC Ltd.