Argentine footballer Lucas Trejo has been left devastated after his wife and two young children were confirmed dead following the powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela last week.
Trejo, who plays for Venezuelan second-division club Club Sport Marítimo La Guaira, had spent three agonising days searching through the ruins of his family’s beachfront home in La Guaira, desperately hoping to find his wife, Yanina, and their children, Aarón and Ainhoa, alive.
The 38-year-old was away at a training camp with his club in Caracas when the twin earthquakes struck. He immediately returned to La Guaira, located about 18 miles north of the capital, only to discover that the apartment building where his family lived had collapsed into rubble.
Speaking to CNN Español, Trejo’s brother-in-law, Ricardo Ardiles, described the emotional toll the tragedy had taken on the footballer.
“He is emotionally overwhelmed,” Ardiles said.
“What he found was a horrific scene. There was nothing left of the building. We kept hoping they were not inside.”
Desperate Search Ends In Tragedy
As emergency workers battled to reach survivors, Trejo joined rescue efforts, combing through the debris while pleading for additional heavy machinery to speed up the operation.
Friends, teammates and fellow footballers also appealed publicly for more rescue equipment to assist in the search.
“We only have one machine at the moment, and it isn’t enough,” Metropolitanos F.C. player Robert Garcés said in a video shared on social media.
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The heartbreaking search came to an end on Sunday, June 28, when Club Sport Marítimo La Guaira confirmed that Trejo’s wife and two children had died in the disaster.
In a statement shared on social media alongside a family photograph, the club expressed its condolences to the grieving player.
“Club Sport Marítimo La Guaira deeply mourns the irreparable loss of Lucas Trejo’s beloved wife and children.
“Lucas, you are not alone. Your family at Maritime La Guaira stands with you during this painful time.”
Earthquake Leaves Massive Destruction
The devastating earthquakes have claimed more than 1,400 lives, while thousands of others remain missing, according to authorities.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) described the disaster as a rare seismic “doublet” after two powerful earthquakes struck just 39 seconds apart, making them the strongest tremors to hit Venezuela in more than a century.
The tragedy has also shaken the country’s football community.
Promising Venezuelan footballer Yimvert Berroterán was among those killed in the disaster.
The Venezuelan Football Federation and the national team confirmed the death of the 18-year-old on Friday.
Berroterán had represented Venezuela at the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Doha earlier this year and had recently featured for the country’s Under-20 national team.
The twin tragedies have plunged Venezuelan football into mourning as clubs, teammates and fans continue to pay tribute to the victims while rescue and recovery operations remain ongoing.