75-year-old Woman Cuts Internet Access Across Armenia With Spade, She Was Looking For Copper

Even the most insignificant gestures can sometimes have huge and unexpected repercussions on thousands and thousands of people, near and far. In the technological society we live in, this happens too, and this is exactly how we can sum up what happened in Georgia because of a 75 year old woman. What did she do that was so striking? It’s simple: with a simple spade , it blocked the internet for an entire country and other surrounding regions.

The improbable story took place on the outskirts of the capital Tbilisi when, shovel in hand, the woman was digging the earth in search of copper to sell . Apparently, one hit where it wasn’t needed was enough to instantly cut off the internet connection in an area larger than a nation.

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image credit: Bidgee/Wikimedia – Not the actual photo

As soon as the technicians arrived on site to verify the failure, they immediately realized the seriousness of the situation. However, the woman had not acted intentionally, she had no accomplice and was also leading an action which is quite common in this region. This is certainly not the first time that people have tried to steal copper from cables and then resell it.

A practice, however, which is not legal. The 75-year-old was arrested and detained by police, although she was later released by police pending trial. Meanwhile, damage to the fiber optic cable interrupted the connection for a good 5 hours not only in Armenia, but also in parts of Georgia and Azerbaijan.

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image credit: Pixabay – Not the actual photo

It is not easy to understand how such an important cable, which provides services to so many people, could have been so easily damaged. It may have been particularly exposed due to previous damage possibly due to atmospheric agents; it is certain that this woman created, although without knowing it, an enormous collective inconvenience. A rather curious fact, which showed the world all the vulnerability of the structures and the services which we often take for granted and without which everything, or almost, stops.

source used: The Guardian