Couple faces Twitter backlash for 'most inappropriate selfie ever'

A couple posing with the burning hotel in the background came under fire on Twitter after they posted their picture online.

Twitteratis slammed the couple's selfie with the The Address Downtown that caught fire on New Year's Eve.

The fire that engulfed the 63-storey luxury hotel three hours before midnight was clicked and posted by many social media users with different hashtags, including #Dubaifire, reports RT.com.

Huge fire engulfs Dubai hotel

This particular selfie was posted by an Instagram user, with the message: "Happy New Year My dear Dubai. May God bless you and keep you safe, you always surprise us with the biggest fireworks," and was eventually taken down as it sparked outrage, reports The Times of India.





Many users termed it as "the most inappropriate selfie ever" while others called them "stupid".

Here are some of the reactions:

However, some users supported the couple as they believed it could be an honest mistake:

According to eyewitnesses, the fire started on the lower floor of the hotel from the outside and eventually spread to the upper storeys.

Dubai ruler's son among firefighters extinguishing hotel fire

Officials said one person had a heart attack as a result of the smoke and the rush to get out of the building. Another person was described as being moderately injured and 16 people were said to have suffered minor injuries.

'One hour, then that's it': Dubai fire survivor hangs from balcony

A large fireworks display later went ahead at the world's tallest tower in Dubai, the Burj Khalifa, in front of tens of thousands of people while plumes of smoke continued to billow from the nearby hotel fire.