(Reuters) – European stocks sank on Friday, on course for their third consecutive week of declines following reports of a nuclear power plant on fire amid fierce fighting between Ukraine and Russian troops.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index fell -1.4% by 0837 GMT after Asian stocks sank to a 16-month low.
Germany’s DAX fell to -2.2% to hit fresh one-year lows, with automakers tumbling over -3.6%. France’s CAC 40 dropped -2.2% and UK’s FTSE 100 slid -1.4%.
European markets have been at the centre of a market selloff fuelled by concerns about the region’s geographical proximity with Russia and its heavy reliance on Russian gas supplies.
Among individual stocks, Michelin dropped -4.7% % after the French tyre maker said it would temporarily halt production at some of its plants in Europe due to logistical issues.
(Reporting by Sruthi Shankar in Bengaluru; Editing by Julien Ponthus in London)