LONDON, July 1 (Xinhua) -- The London stock market fell sharply on Tuesday, dragged down by mining and banking shares.

    The benchmark FTSE 100 index closed down 146.00 points, or 2.60percent, at 5,479.90.

    Kazakh miner Eurasian Natural Resources was the top faller, down 11.9 per cent on news of lower-than-expected metals prices, and other miners were also down, with Kazakhmys falling 9.9 percent, Ferrexpo 9.1 percent and Antofagasta 6.2 percent.

    Banking shares also dipped down, with Royal Bank of Scotland down 5.1 percent, and Barclays 3.4 percent.