A Facebook post of a teenager in Saudi Arabia taking a selfie next to his dead grandfather has gone viral and landed the boy in trouble with the authorities.

The teenage boy took the selfie and posted it in social media with the caption 'Good Bye, Grandfather'.

This triggered wide spread condemnation and anger with some users calling for the hospital authorities being investigated.

They said, the fact that the boy could take a selfie with the dead man shows a lax attitude on their part as they failed to respect the dead man's dignity, reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

"The health authorities in Madinah are looking into the case and assessing whether the selfie was taken at a hospital in the area," Abdul Razak Hafedh, the head of public relations and media in the Madinah area, said.

"Should that be the case, action will certainly be taken against all culprits for allowing or failing to prevent such an immoral act. The security authorities will also be alerted to take action against the teenager for his irresponsible behaviour and for his violation of public morals," he was quoted as saying in the Saudi daily Al Watan.

Saud Al Harbi, a lawyer, said the teenager's behaviour was a crime punishable by law.

"It is a terrible provocation of common feelings and a flagrant violation of public morals," he said. "The society completely rejects such attitudes that are not condoned in any way by its values or traditions," he added.