Facebook sorry that balloons appeared in Indonesia earthquake messages
Due to a translation mix-up, animated balloons and confetti automatically showed up in some people's posts.
Rescue workers look for survivors of Sunday's earthquake on the Indonesian island of Lombok.
Facebook apologized for animated balloons and confetti appearing when Indonesian speakers posted messages about Sunday's deadly earthquake on Indonesia's Lombok Island.
Many people used the word "selamat" -- meaning "to survive" -- as they wrote about the magnitude 7.0 quake, which, CBS reports, killed at least 131 people.
The word "selamat" can be used in multiple phrases that have different meanings. On its own, it means "congratulations," which prompts an animation with confetti and balloons. It can also mean "unhurt," the BBC notes.
“Congrats” in Indonesian is “selamat”. Selamat also means “to survive.”
— Herman Saksono (@hermansaksono) August 6, 2018
After the 6.9 magnitude earthquake in Lombok, Facebook users wrote “I hope people will survive”. Then Facebook highlighted the word “selamat” and throw some balloons and confetti. pic.twitter.com/DEhYLqHWUz
"This feature is widely available on Facebook globally, however we regret that it appeared in this unfortunate context and have since turned off the feature locally," a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement. "Our hearts go out to the people affected by the earthquake."
Rescuers intensified efforts Wednesday to find those buried in the rubble, with volunteers and rescue personnel erecting temporary shelters for the tens of thousands left homeless on the southern island.
In 2016, Facebook noted that half its users spoke languages other than English, and it introduced software that allowed people to translate their posts into multiple tongues.