AUTHORITIES in Turkey are investigating after a photo emerged on social media showing a police officer seemingly taking a smiling selfie with a suicidal man in the background moments before jumping to his death.

The September 1 photo, which has caused outrage in the country, is thought to show Sadrettin Şaşkın, 35, preparing to jump off the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul.

In the image, two police officers look on while a third turns his back to snap a selfie with the man in the frame.

Turkish cops took a selfie as the man committed suicide by jumping from Istanbul Bosphorus bridge pic.twitter.com/J6ojqXwHeb — Fuat Kircaali (@FuatKircaali) September 1, 2014

The police department has launched an investigation into the officer concerned following a widespread backlash on social media.

Turkish newspaper Hurriyet Daily News reports Mr Şaşkın was still alive when he was pulled out of the water but could not be saved.

According to the paper, sources said he was suffering family and financial problems, and this was his third suicide attempt.

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