Thousands unable to access Facebook after unexplained outage

Facebook was inoperative for many users, with thousands reporting they couldn’t access the social media site on Saturday.

Users trying to access the website saw a message saying the web page was undergoing ‘required maintenance."

Down Detector, a website that tracks internet outages reported a large spike in users who were unable to access the social media website.

Most affected users reported a "total blackout," reporting that they were unable to log in to their accounts or the site would not load, The Independent reported.

While some users couldn’t upload pictures, like posts, or send messages, others said the website was working fine.

The technical problems appeared to be affecting Facebook's desktop site and mobile application.

Users across the world, including Europe, US, Brazil, Japan, and Australia were unable to log on, according to Down Detector's map.

At its peak, the website was receiving 1,869 reports of outages.

Some Instagram users also reported issues which appeared to be resolved for many users.