Soccer star’s wife and children found dead in Venezuela after 74-hour search following deadly earthquake
The player’s family moved from Argentina to Venezuela in February, just a few months before the natural disaster hit the country.
The search for the family of Argentine soccer star Lucas Trejo has ended in tragedy, after rescue crews recovered the bodies of his wife and two children over the weekend.
Crews recovered the bodies of Mr Trejo’s wife, Yanina Maranella, and their children, Aaron and Ainhoa from the rubble of their apartment building that collapsed last Wednesday, when two back-to-back earthquakes rocked the northern coast of Venezuela.
The 38-year-old player was in Caracas with his soccer team when the quakes hit.
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“Our building in Playa Grande collapsed. I don’t know anything about my family,” Mr 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”.
It is understood that his father and brother had travelled to Venezuela to help him search for his family alongside firefighters, military personnel and volunteers.
Mr Trejo’s club, Venezuelan side Club Sport Marítimo de La Guaira, confirmed the deaths in a statement on Sunday night.
“Club Sport Maritimo La Guaira deeply mourns the loss suffered by Lucas Trejo’s family. We ask for respect for his relatives and teammates,” a statement read. “After a 74-hour search, they were found deceased,” the club said.
Mr Trejo moved to Venezuela with his family in February to play for the Venezuelan soccer club.
In April he shared a sweet picture of him with his wife Yanina and their children, out celebrating his wife’s birthday.
“Happy birthday my love!!!,” the post was captioned. “May God richly bless your life and continue to fulfil the desires of your heart”.
The earthquakes are being described as Venezuela’s worst in a century, with over 1400 killed and around 50,000 still missing.
The scale of destruction has overwhelmed local authorities and prompted international rescue and relief efforts, as survivors face homelessness and limited resources.
Originally published on PerthNow
