The small Balearic island of Formentera, just south of Ibiza, was left without its internet connection after a Dutch yacht managed to anchor on the cable connecting the island to Ibiza. The internet blackout shut down cash machines, private internet connections and the local hospital’s connection.
The 50m luxury yacht “Dwinger” owned by a Dutch millionaire, damaged the cable late on Sunday night, cutting off the islands more than 2,000 fixed internet users plus mobile 3G connections. The yacht and its crew have now been detained by the Guardia Civil who are investigating the incident. The 37km long fibre optic cable was installed in 2006 at a cost of more than €1M.
Telefonica have put in place temporary radio links to provide some service and a cable laying ship is on route from Sicily to repair the damage. The full service is expected to be resumed within a week.
The captain of the port believes that the crew of the yacht anchored in a prohibited zone, ignoring the warnings that there is a cable in the area.
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