The search for the family of Argentine soccer player Lucas Trejo concluded over the weekend with the recovery of his wife and two children from the debris of their collapsed apartment building. The family members were victims of twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela's northern coast.
Trejo, a 38-year-old center back for Venezuelan club Sport Maritimo de La Guaira, was in Caracas with his team when earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude struck on Wednesday. Upon learning that his family's building in Playa Grande, La Guaira, had collapsed, Trejo traveled to the disaster zone to join rescue efforts.
"Our building in Playa Grande collapsed. I don't know anything about my family," Trejo wrote on Instagram during the early hours of the search. "Please pray for them and share this message in case someone saw them. I want to believe they weren't there."
Trejo's father and brother traveled from Argentina to assist firefighters, military personnel and volunteers in the search. After a 74-hour operation, rescue crews recovered the bodies of Trejo's wife, Yanina Maranella, and their children, Aaron and Ainhoa.
The tragedy has prompted an outpouring of support from the South American soccer community. Fellow Argentine footballer Edson Tortolero, a close friend of Trejo, expressed his grief, stating, "Today my heart breaks into a thousand pieces. There are no words that can ease so much pain. I ask God to give Lucas strength to endure this unimaginable loss."
Club Sport Maritimo de La Guaira confirmed the deaths in a statement on Sunday, expressing their condolences to Trejo and his loved ones. Emergency crews remain in the affected region as recovery efforts continue.
