Mumbai, Sep 8 (IANS): A benchmark index of Indian equities markets gained 66 points higher in a special trading session Saturday.

The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 17,701.07 points, closed at 17,749.65 points, 0.37 percent or 65.92 points up from its previous day's close at 17,683.73 points.

The 90-minute special session was conducted to test BSE's disaster recovery software. The volume of trade looked thin as it was not a working day for most brokerages and foreign institutional investors.

The Sensex touched a high of 17,773.15 points and a low of 17,694.83 points in trade.

The wider 50-scrip S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange closed 0.31 percent up at 5,358.70 points.

On the sectoral front, the BSE health care index was up 91.77 points, metal index was up 94.61 points and the consumer durable index was up 48.27 points.

The major Sensex gainers were Cipla, up 2.65 percent at Rs.390.75; Dr Reddys Lab, up 2.20 percent at Rs.1,734; Sterlite Inds, up 1.92 percent at Rs.98.30; Hindalco Inds, up 1.62 percent at Rs.106.85; Jindal Steel, up 1.35 percent at Rs.352.20.

The losers were BHEL, down 1.15 percent at Rs.202.50; NTPC, down 0.55 percent at Rs.171.05; Bharti Airtel, down 0.39 percent at Rs.254.55; Coal India,down 0.22 percent at Rs.360.35 and TCS, down 0.20 percent at Rs.1,383.10.