A bug involving US-based telecoms giant CenturyLink briefly interrupted internet service in several global markets Sunday, affecting popular streaming services, gaming platforms and webcasts of European soccer, the company and specialized media reported.

Hurricane Laura passed through Louisiana, the US late on Thursday. Photo: VCG

"We are able to confirm that all services impacted by today's IP outage have been restored..." the company said in a mid-morning Twitter post. 

"We sincerely apologize for the impact this outage caused."

CenturyLink is based in Monroe, Louisiana. It was not immediately clear whether the disruption was related to damage from destructive Hurricane Laura, which passed through Louisiana late on Thursday, causing widespread power outages.

Apps and websites including major streaming service Hulu, as well as the PlayStation network and XBox Live platforms reported disruptions, CNN reported.

France's Telefoot soccer network was also affected, interrupting broadcasts of early-afternoon matches, sports journal L'Equipe reported. Telefoot had only recently resumed broadcasting soccer, after a pandemic-induced pause.

CloudFlare, a site designed to help keep other sites running during traffic spikes or malicious attacks, was itself affected.
Newspaper headline: US telecoms glitch leads to net outages