Argentinian footballer's wife and children found dead after devastating Venezuela earthquakes
Yesterday (27 June), officials said the death toll from Venezuela’s devastating earthquakes in the week has risen to 1,430.
As of Saturday morning, families had reported at least 68,900 people missing as people desperately searched for loved ones and neighbours following the back-to-back earthquakes.
And it has now been reported that among the dead is the family of Argentinian footballer Lucas Trejo.
The player for Venezuelan team Maritimo de la Guaira had reportedly been hoping for good news about his missing wife, Yana, and their two children, Aarón and Ainhoa, but they were discovered dead last night.
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The 38-year-old has not yet publicly commented on the tragic news but hours before they were reportedly found yesterday, shared a family picture of the four of them together to his Instagram Story.
Trejo’s Venezuelan football team confirmed the news in a short statement, as it said: “Club Sport Maritimo La Guaira deeply mourns the loss suffered by Lucas Trejo's family; we ask for respect for his relatives and teammates. After a 74-hour search, they were found deceased.”
And friend of the family and former Venezuela football player Edson Tortolero also wrote on social media last night (in a translated Instagram Story): “We inform all the people of Venezuela and Argentina that the bodies of Lucas Trejo's family members have been found lifeless.
“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.”
Argentinian media reported that Trejo’s dad and brother had flown out to Venezuela in a bid to help find his missing family.
Venezuela’s 18-year-old rising star Yiimvert Berroterán is also among those reported dead following the earthquakes, as well as Venezuelan former Major League Baseball player Gorkys Hernandez’s wife Daisy.
"You were and are the most beautiful woman in my life. You will always be with me, at every hour and in every moment. Fly high, my princess, my queen. May God have you in his glory and guide me to keep going and lift up our family," Hernandez wrote on social media.
Venezuela was devastated by the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes on Wednesday when most were at home for a national holiday.
The International Organisation for Migration said up to 6.76 million people could be affected, some two million of them in the capital of Caracas alone.
The destruction was amplified by the quick succession of shallow quakes, experts said.
Loyce Pace, the International Red Cross’ regional director for the Americas, said ‘people are still terrified to re-enter what were their homes’.
Topics: Football, World News
Jess Battison