Facebook Activates Safety Check for Manipur Earthquake

With a powerful earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter Scale rocking India's northeastern region early Monday, Facebook has activated its safety check tool to help people in the area let friends and family know they are safe.

"A major earthquake just struck northeastern India and we've activated Safety Check to help people in the area let friends and family know they're safe," Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg wrote.

"Tremors were also felt in Bangladesh, Myanmar and Nepal. If you appear to be nearby, we will send you a notification to access Safety Check so you can share that you are safe and see that people you care about are safe as well," Zuckerberg posted on Facebook.

The quake occurred at 4.35 a.m. and had its epicentre in Manipur's Tamenglong district. Initial reports indicate that one young girl was killed and 30 were injured.

"My thoughts are with everyone in the affected areas. May you and your loved ones stay safe and healthy," Zuckerberg said.

The safety check tool can be accessed on this page.

Facebook last activated its Safety Check feature for Chennai, which lets users mark themselves as safe as a means to notify friends and loved ones.

The social network had in the past been criticised for being selective in activating Safety Check, with outrage being expressed after it unusually activated the feature following the Paris terrorist attacks last month.

Written with inputs from IANS