A British radio DJ is in hot water for making a "disgusting" joke about flights to Turkey in the aftermath of the earthquakes that left over 41,000 people dead.
"Now is actually the best time to start looking at some cheap flights away to Turkey," Ant Payne said during his Capital FM Drivetime show on Monday.
He continued to quip about the natural disaster by referencing the popular British reality dating show "Love Island."
"Get your teeth done while you are over there," Payne added. "Come back looking 19 years old. You’ll be on ‘Love Island’ next year if you are doing that."
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The comment received almost 600 Ofcom complaints, according to The Independent, with listeners calling it "disgusting" and "disgraceful." Several others on social media called for him to be fired.
Liberal Democrat councillor Suzanne Nuri-Nixon weighed in, saying he "misread the room."
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Payne apologized for the joke on Twitter Tuesday, admitting it was "insensitive" and "ill timed."
"Hi guys, I want to address the comment I made last night on the show," he wrote. "It was insensitive and ill timed. I would never wish to offend anyone from my shows. My sincere and wholehearted apologies."
Fox News Digital has reached out to Global, the owner of Capital, for comment.
TURKEY-SYRIA EARTHQUAKE DEATH TOLL LIKELY TO SURPASS 56,000, UN EMERGENCY AID CHIEF SAYS
Last week's 7.8- and 7.6-magnitude earthquakes in southeastern Turkey and northern Syria are the deadliest such disaster in modern Turkish history, according to the Associated Press, with Turkey now facing water shortages and disease risks. The death toll is expected to surpass 56,000 people, United Nations emergency relief chief Martin Griffiths recently said.
"I think it is difficult to estimate precisely as we need to get under the rubble but I'm sure it will double or more," Griffiths told Sky News. "That's terrifying. This is nature striking back in a really harsh way."
