Argentine Footballer Loses Wife, 2 Children In Venezuela Quake

Argentine Footballer Loses Wife, 2 Children In Venezuela Quake

The wife and two children of Argentine footballer Lucas Trejo have been confirmed dead after the devastating twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela last week, compounding the human toll of a disaster that has claimed nearly 1,500 lives.

Trejo, who plays for Venezuelan second-division side Club Sport Marítimo La Guaira, spent three days searching through the rubble for his wife, Yanina, and their children, Aaron and Ainhoa, before rescue workers recovered their bodies.

In a statement posted on Instagram on Sunday, Club Sport Marítimo La Guaira expressed solidarity with the grieving player.

“Club Sport Marítimo La Guaira deeply mourns the irreparable loss of our player’s wife and children,” the club said alongside a family photograph.

“Lucas, you are not alone. Your family at Marítimo La Guaira is with you.”

The 38-year-old was attending a training camp in Caracas when the powerful 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes struck on Wednesday evening. He rushed back to his home in La Guaira, one of the areas hardest hit by the disaster, only to find his apartment building reduced to rubble.

Trejo’s brother-in-law, Ricardo Ardiles, told CNN the footballer returned to a scene of complete devastation.

“He found absolutely nothing of what the building itself had been,” Ardiles said.

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquakes formed a rare “doublet” event, with the two major tremors occurring just 39 seconds apart.

Venezuelan authorities said the disaster has killed nearly 1,500 people, while tens of thousands remain unaccounted for as rescue operations continue.

The tragedy has also devastated Venezuela’s football community.

Among those confirmed dead was 18-year-old Yimvert Berroteran, a promising footballer who represented Venezuela at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Doha before earning promotion to the country’s U-20 national team. His death was confirmed on Friday by the Venezuelan Football Federation (FVF) and the national team.

The FVF and the players’ respective clubs also confirmed the deaths of young footballers Víctor Palacios and Razan Sijaa.

In another tragedy linked to the disaster, the partner of footballer Héctor Bello died while shielding their toddler during the earthquake.

Paying tribute in an emotional social media post on Saturday, Bello wrote:

“I’ll make sure to remind our baby girl how wonderful you were and how much you loved her,” he said.

The earthquakes also claimed the lives of tourists and foreign nationals, including eight Chinese citizens, according to Chinese state media.