IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

Chileans Use Social Media to Let Loved Ones Know They Are Safe

Facebook is helping people know who is safe after an 8.3-magnitude earthquake hit Chile on Wednesday with their Safety Check feature.
Get more newsLiveon

Following the deadly earthquake in Chile, many of the country's residents are using Facebook to let their loved ones and their friends know they are okay.

After the 8.3-magnitude earthquake hit the center and north of the country Wednesday, Chileans were using Facebook's Safety Check feature - which sends an “Are you OK?” notification if it looks like the user is near the affected zone. The alert includes a list of friends in the area who are safe and those pending an update. Once the safety status is updated, the user’s friends receive a notification and it creates a post for their profile newsfeed.

Image: CHILE-QUAKE
People remained in the street during a strong quake in Santiago on September 16, 2015. A strong 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck the center of Chile on Wednesday, local seismologists said, triggering a tsunami alert, sparking panic and shaking buildings.ALEJANDRO RUSTON / AFP - Getty Images

The feature was introduced last year and was used in April this year when an 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Nepal. Many have taken to Twitter to express their appreciation.

On Thursday morning Chilean authorities canceled a tsunami alert which was activated after the earthquake hit, prompting the evacuation of nearly one million people.

"The state of tsunami warning for the entire national territory is canceled," the National Emergency Office (Onemi), on their Twitter account, after almost 12 hours since the earthquake occurred.

Related Article: Tsunami Advisory For Hawaii, Parts of California After Chile Quake

The Chilean government updated the death toll from the earthquake to ten, including four from cardiac arrest, two young adults by rock-slides, and a woman struck by a falling roof.

Follow NBC News Latino on Facebook and Twitter.