Last Wednesday a ship’s anchor cut two undersea fiber-optic cables, crippling Internet access for 75 million people in the Middle East and South Asia. This wonderfully executed data graphic from TeleGeography.com shows how it happened (click the image for full size).

UPDATE: The Egyptian government now says that no ships were present over the fiber-optic cables when they were cut near Alexandria. The actual cause of the cable failures is unclear. Unlike the conveniently timed “failure” of an undersea cable that severed Burma’s connection to the outside world during pro-democracy protests last year, there’s no obvious political incentive for this cable failure.

VERY LATE UPDATE: Deliberate sabotage speculation on the rise.