Asian markets were also in deep red with Shanghai shares crashing 8 per cent on concerns that the Chinese economy was slowing more than previously thought.
Taking cues from global markets, the Sensex nosedived 1,006.54 points, or 3.67 per cent, to 26,359.53-- the biggest fall in day trade in 2015.
The broader NSE Nifty also dipped below the 8,000-level by tumbling 309.05 points, or 3.72 per cent to 7990.90 in early trade. All 50 constituents of Nifty were in red with Tata Motors and ONGC losing the most up to 6 per cent.
Among major Sensex losers, ICICI Bank fell by 4.5 per cent, Infosys by 3 per cent, Axis Bank by 5.3 per cent, Reliance by 4 per cent and HDFC by 3 per cent. Tata Motors fell by over 6 per cent.
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Vedanta and GAIL Ltd also fell up to 6 per cent.
At 0930 hrs, the Sensex was down 848.77, or 3.1 per cent, at 26,517.30 points. The 50-share Nifty was down 267.10 points, or 3.22 per cent, at 8,032.85 woth all the constituents in the negative.
Among other Asian markets, Shanghai Composite dived 8.35 per cent, Japan's Nikkei dropped 3.10 per cent and Hong Kong's Hang Seng 3.26 per cent.
The US Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 3.12 per cent down in Friday's trade.