Lucas Trejo: Footballer Loses Wife and Children in Venezuela© Instagram
Lucas Trejo is a 38-year-old Argentine footballer who has spent the past decade playing in Venezuela, most recently for Club Sport Maritimo de La Guaira. On June 28, the club confirmed the news that had been feared since two powerful earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5, struck Venezuela’s Yaracuy region on June 24: his wife, Yanina Maranella, and their two children, five-year-old Aarón and seven-year-old Ainhoa, had died when their apartment building in Playa Grande, La Guaira, collapsed during the tremors.
What Happened During the Search for Lucas Trejo’s Family
Trejo was in Caracas preparing for a Copa Venezuela match when the earthquakes hit. His family was at home in their Playa Grande apartment when the building came down around them. Rescue teams spent 74 hours searching the rubble before recovering the bodies of all three. Trejo’s father and brother reportedly flew from Argentina to Venezuela to help with the search as it stretched on.
Hours before the bodies were found, Trejo had posted a family photograph of the four of them together to his Instagram Story, unaware at that point of what the search would ultimately confirm.
How the Football Community Has Responded
Trejo’s club released a statement mourning the loss. “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.” Edson Tortolero, a former Venezuela international who assisted in the search effort, also confirmed the news publicly, writing: “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.”
The Wider Toll of Venezuela’s Earthquakes
Trejo’s family is one of many devastated by the disaster. Venezuelan rising star Yiimvert Berroterán, 18, is also among those reported dead, as is the wife of former MLB player Gorkys Hernandez. The death toll across the country has continued to climb past 1,400, with thousands left homeless and entire neighbourhoods reduced to rubble. International relief efforts are underway, with more than 521 tonnes of supplies having already arrived to support rescue and recovery operations.
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