A Japanese man shared a sentimental story on Twitter when he accidentally found his father on Google Earth, who had already died seven years earlier.

According to Unilad, Twitter user @TeacherUfo stumbled upon the discovery while checking out their old house on Google Earth. The user saw his father, to his surprise, waiting for his mother to come home, reports Nextshark.

As translated by content sharing website 9Gag, he said, "I wanted to look for my parents' house on Google Earth because I had nothing to do due to the pandemic.

"I saw my father who had passed away 7 years ago. I then zoomed passed him and saw my mum on her way home. My father must have been waiting for my mother to return home. My father was a quiet but kind man."

The user hoped that Google Earth will not change the photo.

The post gathered more than 690,000 likes on Twitter and encouraged others to share loved ones they find on Google Earth.

"When I saw your tweet I went on Google Earth and found my grandmother working in the field," one user, who goes by the handle name @TacHi19505968, said in the thread. 

"She passed away last year. I'm grateful to be able to see my grandmother in this form."

"I also tried searching for the countryside where my mother's parents' house was, and found a picture of my grandfather returning home with my grandmother after working in the fields."

The computer program, released in 2001, allows users a virtual tour to explore Earth based on satellite imagery.  The images update about once a month with average map data between one and three years old, according to Tech Junkie.

Another Twitter user, @shiumeko, also contributed to the thread by sharing a picture of their old family dog taken from their old home.

"I also saw my dog who has passed away due to old age while I was searching for my home on Google Earth last year. I was happy when I saw him. I also hope this photo doesn't change," the user said.