Idris Talha Kartav, a Turkish guest on popular Chinese variety show "Informal Talks," was reported on Tuesday to have been found dead by rescuers in the ruins of a hotel in earthquake-stricken Türkiye.

In 2016, Kartav first participated in "Informal Talks" as a representative of Türkiye and has been welcomed by Chinese viewers ever since.

Kartav used to frequently express his affection for China on the internet, sharing his experiences of Chinese culture. He once expressed a wish to settle in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province and had plans to purchase a house there and become a permanent Xiamen resident.

In the past few days, many Chinese social media users have voiced concern about the safety of Kartav, as no one had heard from him since the deadly earthquakes struck Türkiye and Syria on Monday.

The official account of the show "Informal Talks" and Kartav's friends issued tributes to him on social media after the news.

Earthquakes struck southwest Türkiye and northern Syria on Monday, killing at least 20,000 people.