An Italian man has been condemned for taking a selfie on a railway platform where a woman had just been hit by a train.

The woman, a Canadian tourist, subsequently had her leg amputated.

The young man made a V for victory sign with his right hand while taking a selfie with his left hand, just yards from where medics were attending the injured woman, who was lying on the ground in agony.

The scene was captured by a local news photographer, with the picture appearing in many Italian newspapers and sparking a debate on voyeurism, insensitivity and the culture of selfie-taking.

One daily paper called the episode “a portrait of disheartening exhibitionism”.

The Italian police investigated the incident but concluded that the young man, who has not been named, had committed no crime.