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Update 5:22 PM ET: Google search and services appear to be 100% back online. We also received an official statement from Google. See below.
Web surfers got an unpleasant surprise Tuesday as many of them found their favorite search engine, Google, offline or nearly un-responsive. Others are reporting that Google Hangouts have gone offline as well. One screen showed a "Fatal Server Error."
Twitter has quickly filled up with tweets featuring the hashtag #GoogleDown.
Am I the only one not able to access Google? #googledown— midnightz (@midnightz) September 19, 2012
@joshuatopolskynot able to connect to Google services on #GalaxyNexus Android....#fyi # google #googledown— Premal (@m_premal) September 20, 2012