Asian stock markets plunge after Wall Street falls

Wall Street's overnight freefall sent Asian stock markets tumbling sharply on Tuesday morning as investors were gripped with fears of a global financial crisis.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 stock index plunged 4.8 percent at 11,627.46, falling under than 12,000-point level for the first time since mid-March. South Korea's Kospi shed 6.1 percent, and key indices in Australia and New Zealand were down about 2.8 percent