FL Couple Found Holding Each Other In Turkey Earthquake Rubble: Report

ORLANDO, FL — A Florida couple who died in a catastrophic earthquake that hit Turkey this week were discovered holding each other beneath the rubble, according to a report by FOX Orlando.

Alex and Veronika Ilgin of Orlando were with family in Turkey when a 7.8 magnitude earthquake devastated parts of southern Turkey and northern Syria five days ago.

Among the worst in recent history, the 7.8 magnitude earthquake has killed tens of thousands of people in the region and left even more homeless, with thousands taking refuge in shopping malls, stadiums, mosques and community centers.

Alex was a mortgage broker, while Veronika was a nurse at Orlando Health. The two married in July, Alex's best friend told FOX Orlando, adding that Alex and Veronica were in each other's arms when his brother found them.

"He actually had first hands on him to identify him in the rubble. He said Alex had his arm around Veronika in bed," Vasilios Poulos told the news station.

A memorial for the couple will be held at 8 p.m. Monday at Cafe 34 Istanbul on International Drive in Orlando.

The Ilgins were among more than 25,000 people who lost their lives when the earthquake struck.

Rescuers reached a 13-year-old girl inside the debris of a collapsed building in Hatay province early Saturday and intubated her. But she died before the medical teams could amputate a limb and free her from the rubble, Hurriyet newspaper reported.

Even though experts say trapped people can live for a week or more, the odds of finding more survivors were quickly waning amid freezing temperatures Saturday. Rescuers were shifting to thermal cameras to help identify life amid the rubble, a sign that any remaining survivors could be too weak to call for help.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.