After 48 hours of intensive search and rescue efforts, the body of Saul Cenudioglu, the head of Turkey's Antakya Jewish community, was found and identified, ZAKA spokespeople reported on Friday morning.
The team who located the body consisted of ZAKA volunteers as well as Home Front Command soldiers. The crews worked throughout the night to rescue his body, and at around 4:00 AM on Friday morning they successfully freed it from the ruins.
The earthquake that killed thousands
Cenudioglu and his wife Fortuna were both found dead in the ruins of their home this week after a disastrous earthquake hit Turkey, killing more than 20,000 people.
Fortuna's body had been rescued and identified the evening before on Thursday night by the same group of volunteers and soldiers.
“The rescuers worked intensively with dedication and in difficult conditions for many hours, until the two were found. Unfortunately, they were found dead,” a ZAKA press release said.
Zvika Klein contributed to this report.