Czech power plant apologizes for using bikini photos to choose interns

June 28 (UPI) -- A nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic apologized for asking Facebook users to help choose interns from a pool of bikini-clad candidates.

A since-deleted Facebook post by CEZ's Temelin station included photos of 10 recent high school graduates wearing bikinis and hard hats and asked visitors to the social media page to help choose "Miss Energy 2017," who would be awarded a two-week internship with the company.

"We think photographs are very tasteful," CNN quoted the deleted post as saying. "The combination of beauty and the industrial environment gives an interesting result."

The post resulted in a flood of criticism from Facebook users who decried the competition as sexist and unprofessional.

The company apologized in a Facebook post two days later, saying all 10 women would be offered internships.

"The purpose of the competition was to promote technical education," the post said. "But if the original vision raised doubts or concerns, we are very sorry."