BEIJING, Dec. 28(Xinhuanet) -- Ships carrying crews to repair the two undersea fibre-optic cables, which were broken in earthquakes, will arrive in the affected area in several days, an official of Taiwan's main telecommunications company said Thursday.

    The repair work is vital for restoring regular telephone and Internet services throughout Asia, which were severely disrupted in a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck late Tuesday just off Taiwan's southern coast.

    Wu Chih-ming of Chunghwa Telecom said the repair ships are expected to depart soon from ports in Japan, the Philippines and Singapore, but their precise sailing schedule is still unknown.

    "The ships are now performing various repair works at other areas, and we expect the operators to inform us about their work schedules and when these ships can arrive," he said.

    The rupture of cables is believed to be the most serious disruption since 2001, when a submarine cable connecting the mainland with the United States was cut off more than four times, mostly by fishing boats.

    (Agencies)

Related: Internet access slows to a crawl

    BEIJING, Dec. 28 -- Access to overseas websites from the Chinese mainland slowed to a crawl yesterday as a powerful earthquake off the Taiwan coast knocked off international undersea fibre-optic cables on Tuesday, affecting communications around Asia.

    It is believed to be the most serious disruption since 2001, when a submarine cable connecting the mainland with the United States was cut off more than four times, mostly by fishing boats.

    It is not clear when normal service will be restored.

Residents stay at an open area in Xiamen, a coastal city of southeast China's Fujian Province, Dec. 26, 2006. Two earthquakes -- the first measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale at 8:26 p.m. and the second measuring 6.7 at 8:34 p.m. -- hit the South China Sea on Tuesday. Strong quakes were felt in Guangdong and Fujian provinces as well as Hong Kong and Macao, but no damage or casualty reports are available.(Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery >>>

Earthquakes in sea areas near Taiwan kill 2

    BEIJING, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Earthquakes that occurred from late Tuesday to early Wednesday in the coastal water near Pingtung County, southern Taiwan, have killed two and injured 42.

    The Pingtung County was the worst hit area by the earthquakes, followed by Kaohsiung County and Kaohsiung City.

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