Dow Drops Around 250 Points, Over 2.05 Pct

U.S. stocks dropped on Wednesday with the major index plunging 2 percent on Japan's disaster. The Dow Jones industrial average lost around 250 points, over 2 percent.

The Wall Street opened lower and plunged in midday trading, after the European Union's energy chief said that Japan's nuclear disaster could get worse.

EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger told a European media that Japan's nuclear plant was effectively out of control.

"In coming hours there could be further catastrophic events which could pose a threat to the lives of people on the island," the European media quoted Oettinger as saying.

In the midday trading, the Dow Jones industrial average lost 243.48 points, or 2.05 percent, to 11,611.94. The Standard & Poor' s 500 Index was down 25.88 points, or 2.02 percent, to 1,255.99. The Nasdaq declined 49.98 points, or 1.87 percent, to 2,617.35.