A horrifying scene played out at a train platform in Italy last month, when a woman fell onto the tracks and was hit by a moving train.

But the most controversial detail was the fact that as she was being tended to by paramedics on the tracks, another passenger nearby decided to take a selfie with the victim in the background.

The photo of the man, who was making a V-for-victory sign as he took the selfie, was taken by journalist Giorgio Lambri on May 26 at the Piacenza station in northern Italy.

Local media outlets published the photo on Monday (June 4), to the outrage of Italians nationwide, reported the BBC on Wednesday.

Mr Lambri, whose photo was published in front pages across Italy, wrote about the incident in the Liberta newspaper: "We have completely lost a sense of ethics."

"The most terrible thing is that guy (doesn't) understand absolutely the badness of his behaviour. I am a veteran journalist who extensively covered crime, and I have seen many terrifying scenes, but this made me really sad," he was quoted as saying by British newspaper The Independent.

The young Canadian woman in the accident is believed to have fallen on the tracks while alighting from a train, after a door opened on the wrong side, according to local media reports.

After being tended to by paramedics, she was taken to the hospital. One of her legs had to be amputated, the BBC reported.

When the police saw the man taking the selfie on the platform, they instructed him to delete the picture.

The man has since been investigated by the police, but was not charged for any crime.

Many Italians were nevertheless outraged by the man's behaviour, and questioned if social media has warped society's morals and ethics.

One psychotherapist quoted in Italian magazine Famiglia Cristiana said the incident captured the moment "where narcissism marries desensitisation", reported British media outlet The Week.