NewsBaltic Sea cable damage sparks investigation off Latvia

Baltic Sea cable damage sparks investigation off Latvia

The undersea fibre optic cable installed in the Baltic Sea between the western coast of Latvia and the Swedish island of Gotland sustained damage on Sunday morning, according to Latvian media reports.

Edgars Rinkevics, Latvia's president, Gitanas Nauseda, Lithuania's president, Ulf Kristersson, Sweden's prime minister, Mark Rutte, secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Olaf Scholz, Germany's chancellor, Alexander Stubb, Finland's president, and Mette Frederiksen, Denmark's prime minister, left to right, during the Baltic Sea NATO allies summit at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland, on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. Finland and Estonia are co-hosting the summit with NATO members from around the Baltic Sea to discuss measures to secure critical assets on the seabed. Photographer: Roni Rekomaa/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Edgars Rinkevics, Latvia's president, Gitanas Nauseda, Lithuania's president, Ulf Kristersson, Sweden's prime minister, Mark Rutte, secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Olaf Scholz, Germany's chancellor, Alexander Stubb, Finland's president, and Mette Frederiksen, Denmark's prime minister, left to right, during the Baltic Sea NATO allies summit at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland, on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. Finland and Estonia are co-hosting the summit with NATO members from around the Baltic Sea to discuss measures to secure critical assets on the seabed. Photographer: Roni Rekomaa/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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Katarzyna Staszko

Latvian broadcaster LSM suggests that the damage was likely caused by an "external impact".

Disruptions in data transmission have been noted between the Latvian city of Ventspils and Gotland.

Media outlets reassure the public that the damage does not currently have a significant impact on service delivery in Latvia, as other data transmission methods are being utilised.

The circumstances of the incident are under investigation by authorities.

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