Yesterday evening's fault in the GO submarine cable between Malta and Sicily is thought to have been part of wider disruption caused by a number of cable failures which have affected Internet and telephone communications between the Middle East and Europe.

International agencies such as Bloomberg have reported that the failures cut the flow of data between Europe and the Middle East, and there is no timeframe for when communications will be restored.

Three undersea cables between Europe and Egypt were affected. They carry data from Europe to many countries in Asia.

The cause of the damage is not known, but it may have been the result of works as part of cable laying by a ship.