Early support for Brexit sends pound plunging

At one stage the British pound had collapsed no less than 10 U.S. cents, its biggest fall in living memory, while the euro slid 1 percent as investors feared for its future.

London (AFP) - First results from Britain's knife-edge referendum showed unexpectedly strong support for leaving the European Union on Friday, sending the pound plummeting as investors feared a historic blow against the 28-nation alliance.

Just minutes earlier, global financial markets had been surging after two opinion polls gave them hope that Britons would choose to stay in the bloc, born out of a determination to forge lasting peace after two world wars.