A French rolling news channel was forced to apologise on Saturday after one of its reporters was heard to whisper "they are burying the Pokemons" during coverage of China's day of mourning for coronavirus victims.
BFMTV and its journalist Emmanuel Lechypre were lambasted as racist and "shockingly insensitive" on social media after the business reporter made the comment over live footage of the three-minute silence observed across China.
Some 3,300 have died in the pandemic there, according to official figures.
Lechyre later apologised, saying that he did not know his microphone was turned on.