Argentine soccer player Lucas Trejo is mourning the death of his wife and two children, whose bodies were discovered Saturday evening after a 74-hour search. Their discovery came after devastating earthquakes struck Venezuela earlier in the week.
Trejo, 38, had been awaiting news of his missing family. His Venezuelan soccer team, Maritimo de la Guaira, confirmed the loss in a statement. "Club Sport Maritimo La Guaira deeply mourns the loss suffered by Lucas Trejo's family; we ask for respect for his relatives and teammates," the club stated. "After a 74-hour search, they were found deceased."
A friend of the family and fellow soccer player, Edson Tortolero, announced the news on social media Saturday night. "We inform all the people of Venezuela and Argentina that the bodies of Lucas Trejo's family members have been found lifeless," Tortolero wrote. "We thank everyone for the support and ask for the most sincere respect for his family at this time. WE PRAY FOR ETERNAL LIFE FOR THEM."
Reports indicated that Trejo's father and brother had traveled to Venezuela to assist in the search efforts. Hours before the discovery, Trejo had shared a family photograph on his social media.
The earthquakes, a rare double event measuring 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude, struck on Wednesday. As of Saturday evening, the death toll had risen to over 1,430 people, with nearly 70,000 reported missing.
Separately, former Major League Baseball player Gorkys Hernandez announced that his wife, Deisy, also died in the earthquakes. Venezuelan media reported that she was in a luxury hotel with family members of other players from Hernandez's baseball team, the La Guaira Delfines, when the tremors occurred. Hernandez posted a tribute to his wife on social media, calling her "the best woman in the world."