Argentine soccer player Lucas Trejo lost his wife and two children after a building collapse caused by twin earthquakes in Venezuela. The 38-year-old center back for Venezuelan club Sport Maritimo de La Guaira was in Caracas when the earthquakes struck the country’s northern coast on Wednesday.
Trejo’s family was in an apartment in Playa Grande, La Guaira, when the building collapsed. He traveled from Caracas to the disaster zone after learning about the collapse and joined rescue efforts. Trejo posted on Instagram during the search, saying, “Our building in Playa Grande collapsed. I don’t know anything about my family. 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 help firefighters, military personnel, and volunteers search through the debris. After 74 hours, rescuers recovered the bodies of Trejo’s wife, Yanina Maranella, and their children, Aaron and Ainhoa.
The tragedy drew condolences from across South American soccer. Argentine footballer Edson Tortolero, a close friend of Trejo, expressed his grief on social media, saying, “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 Sunday, expressing condolences and offering support to Trejo and his family. The earthquakes have caused widespread devastation along Venezuela’s northern coast, with rescue operations ongoing in the affected region.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
