Google launches ‘Person Finder’ after South Asia earthquake

Google has launched its Person Finder service after a 7.5-magnitute earthquake ripped through Hindukush region, striking Pakistan, Afghanistan while also rattling people India and Tajikistan. The powerful earthquake has reportedly killed more than 200 in Pakistan and Afghanistan and injuring hundreds of others in the region.

Launched for the first time in 2010, the tech company’s service is made live after natural disasters, attempting to make public information about missing people.

The tool allows users to enter the name of a person they’re looking for, or enter information about someone who is there. Users can select the “I’m looking for someone” tool and enter the name of their loved one to see if there has been an entry added for that person; or, users can select “I have information about someone” to add a person’s name to the list.

The feature was most recently activated in May in South Asia, after a strong 7.8-magnitute quake rocked Nepal. Google said more than 7,000 people had posted information about missing friends and loved ones in the aftermath of that disaster, which killed more than 8,000 people.

Google Person Finder was created as part of Google Crisis Response, which aims to make information more accessible at times of crisis around the world.