Radio station employee sacked for taking selfies at traffic accident scene

A radio station employee has been sacked after taking and sharing smiling selfies at the scene of an expressway pile-up that left 18 dead on Wednesday.

The employee from FM87.7 Yingshang Transport and Music Broadcast in Fuyang City of Anhui Province, a woman surnamed Ling, arrived on the scene at 5pm to cover the accident. She then posed for selfies, which had "a serious adverse effect on society", the radio station said in an apology on its official Weibo account.

The station's chief, Li Xuelin, has also been suspended.

In their apology, authorities from the radio station conveyed their "profound condolences" to the victims of the tragedy and promised to strengthen their training of staff in the future.

More than 30 vehicles collided in heavy fog on an expressway section in Fuyang at around 7:45am on Wednesday, leaving 18 people dead and 19 injured, nine of whom are still in a serious condition.