The number of US dotcom closures has surged again, rising to 55 in April after a brief slowdown in March, according to a new survey.
April has become the second-deadliest month after February, according to US research firm Webmergers.com. In February, there were 58 crashes, but there appeared to be some respite in March, when the figure dipped to 44.
In April last year, the company reported that just one dotcom, online retailer violet.com, ceased trading. The latest figures show that at least 435 internet companies have folded since January 2000, with 211 in the first four months of 2001.
Webmergers said that although e-commerce-related companies still account for nearly half of all shutdowns to date, the meltdown is beginning to affect other sectors such as internet consulting and internet access.
In April, casualties included nine internet professional services, seven access providers and, for the first time, a handful of application service providers.