Facebook activates Safety Check after overpass collapse in India

Facebook has activated its Safety Check feature, so people in Kolkata can let their loved ones know whether they are safe after the collapse of an overpass.

At least 21 people were killed and dozens injured when a portion of an overpass that was under construction came crashing down on a crowded intersection in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata on Thursday afternoon local time, the Associated Press reported.

More people were feared trapped beneath the debris, and rescuers used saws, small cranes and their bare hands to search for survivors, according to the news agency. Its correspondent reported seeing smashed yellow taxis and rickshaws, and the bloody legs of trapped people jutting from the fallen steel beams and concrete.

At least 15 people were killed when a portion of an overpass under construction collapsed on a congested intersection of Vivekananda Road on March 31, 2016 in Kolkata, India. Credit: Subhankar Chakraborty/Hindustan Times via Getty Images

As the rescue operation got underway, Facebook switched on its Safety Check, which enables people to locate family members in the area affected by disasters. The check prompts people in the area to mark themselves as "safe." It also allows other people to also mark friends "Safe," "Unsafe," or "Not in the area."

Those safety statuses then appear as a notification on friends' Facebook accounts and in News Feeds.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

The social network has activated the check during past incidents, including the recent Brussels attacks.

There has been at least one case in which the safety check didn't work correctly. After an explosion at a park in Lahore, Pakistan that killed dozens of Christians celebrating Easter last Sunday, Facebook activated its Safety Check feature. But people who were in the U.S. and U.K, for example, began receiving prompts from Facebook to mark themselves safe.

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.