San Francisco, Oct 14 (IANS): Former footballer Fabrice Muamba has said that a newly-launched Snapchat feature in its Lenses section can save lives.

Snapchat just introduced a new tool that teaches people how to perform CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), which users can view in the Lenses section of its app.

"Speaking from my own personal experience, I was fortunate enough that it happened to me where I had the best medical care that I could wish for," Muamba told BBC News.

"Young people nowadays are out most of the time with a friend. If they find themselves in this situation and they don't know how to do CPR, then they're in serious trouble," he added.

Muamba suffered a cardiac arrest during a FA Cup match, from which he recovered despite his heart having stopped for 78 minutes.

"If you know how to do CPR through this lens on Snapchat, then you give your friend a better chance of surviving sudden cardiac arrest," he was quoted as saying in the report.

The new feature aims to provide users with information on 'how to respond in an emergency', giving users step-by-step, true-to-life examples of CPR techniques.

This announcement came ahead of World Restart A Heart Day, as research shows 7 out of 10 cardiac arrests happen in front of viewers, but only less than 20 per cent of people end up providing first aid.