By Angela Moon
NEW YORK, June 12 (Reuters) - Facebook Inc FB.O activated
its "Safety Check" function on Sunday for the first time in the
United States after a gunman massacred 50 people at a nightclub
in Orlando, Florida.
The Safety Check, first introduced in October 2014, allows
Facebook users to spread the word that they are safe in wake of
a natural disaster or a crisis, and allows searches for those
who might be in the affected area.
"Waking up this morning, I was horrified to hear about the
shooting in Orlando. My thoughts and prayers are with the
victims, their families and the LGBT community," said Facebook
Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg on his official account.
A gunman armed with an assault rifle killed 50 people at a
packed gay nightclub in Orlando on Sunday in the worst mass
shooting in U.S. history. Police killed the shooter at the Pulse
nightclub, who was identified as Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old
Florida resident and U.S. citizen.
The incident quickly emerged as a top trending topic on
Facebook and Twitter with hashtag #PrayforOrlando being one of
the top posts throughout the day.
Last year, Facebook vowed to turn on the Safety Check more
often during disasters in response to criticism that it enabled
the function after Islamic State militant attacks on Paris and
not a day earlier when a bomb killed at least 43 people in
Beirut.
(Editing By Frank McGurty and Alistair Bell)