Argentine footballer Lucas Trejo has been thrown into mourning after losing his wife and two children in the devastating twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela last week.
Trejo, who plays for second-division side Club Sport Marítimo La Guaira, spent three agonising days searching through the rubble for his wife, Yanina, and their children, Aaron and Ainhoa, before rescue workers eventually recovered their bodies.
The club confirmed the tragedy on Sunday in an emotional statement posted on Instagram.
“Club Sport Marítimo La Guaira deeply mourns the irreparable loss of our player’s wife and children,” the statement read, alongside a family photograph.
The 38-year-old footballer was attending a training camp in Caracas when the twin earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude, struck on Wednesday evening.
According to CNN, Trejo rushed back to La Guaira State, one of the areas worst affected by the disaster, only to find his home reduced to rubble.
His brother-in-law, Ricardo Ardiles, described the scene as devastating.
“He found absolutely nothing of what the building itself had been,” Ardiles said.
Venezuelan authorities said the disaster has claimed nearly 1,500 lives, while tens of thousands of people remain unaccounted for.
Offering support to their grieving player, Marítimo La Guaira said: “Lucas, you are not alone. Your family at Maritime La Guaira is with you.”
The earthquakes have also left a painful mark on Venezuela’s football community.
Promising teenager Yimvert Berroteran was among those killed. The 18-year-old had recently represented Venezuela at the U-17 World Cup in Doha and was also part of the country’s U-20 setup.
The tragedy also claimed the lives of young footballers Víctor Palacios and Razan Sijaa, according to the Venezuelan Football Federation and their clubs.
Another player, Héctor Bello, lost his partner, who reportedly died while shielding their toddler during the quake.
In a heartfelt tribute, Bello wrote on social media: “I’ll make sure to remind our baby girl how wonderful you were and how much you loved her.”
The death toll also includes foreign nationals, with Chinese state media reporting that eight Chinese citizens were among those killed in the disaster.
