The human toll of the Venezuela earthquake continues to grow, with two professional soccer players now mourning devastating personal losses as rescue crews search through the wreckage left behind by last week's twin quakes. After Argentine defender Lucas Trejo lost his wife and two children, Venezuelan footballer Héctor Bello has revealed that his partner died protecting their infant daughter when their home collapsed.
According to The Guardian, Bello shared the heartbreaking update in an emotional Instagram tribute after rescue workers recovered his daughter, Alana, alive from the debris. According to local reports, the infant remains in stable condition alongside her aunt. Remembering his partner Andrea, Bello wrote, "You gave your own life for our daughter … you were a brave woman who never abandoned her, even as you took your last breaths."
The tragedy follows days of anguish for Trejo, the Argentine footballer who had desperately searched the rubble of La Guaira after losing contact with his family. Trejo had been training with his club in Caracas when the 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes struck on June 24, prompting him to race back to the coastal region.
By the time he arrived, "absolutely nothing" remained of his home, according to his brother-in-law, Ricardo Ardiles. After a three-day search, rescue workers recovered the bodies of Trejo's wife, Yanina Maranella, and the couple's children, Aarón and Ainhoa.
The deaths have shaken Venezuela's soccer community. Earlier, teammate Edson Tortolero confirmed the discovery of Trejo's family, writing on Instagram, "We would like to inform everyone in Venezuela and Argentina that the bodies of Lucas Trejo's family members have been found." Trejo's club also issued a statement expressing its condolences: "We join Lucas Trejo in mourning the tragic passing of his wife, Yanina Maranella, and his children, Aarón and Ainhoa Trejo."
Trejo himself appeared to acknowledge the loss by posting a photograph of his family to his Instagram Stories.
The disaster has also claimed the lives of youth footballers Víctor Palacios, who played in Club Sport San Augustín's academy, and Razan Sijaa of Caracas Fútbol Club, who reportedly died alongside family members when their home in La Guaira collapsed.
Meanwhile, rescue efforts are entering an increasingly difficult phase. The critical 72-hour period during which survivors are most likely to be found has now passed, although international teams continue searching collapsed buildings.
The official death toll has climbed to at least 1,750, while the U.S. Geological Survey has warned that fatalities could ultimately reach 10,000, making it Venezuela's deadliest and most powerful earthquake in more than a century.
