Argentine pro soccer player Lucas Trejo is in mourning after he lost his wife and children in the devastating twin Venezuela earthquakes over the weekend.
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C.S. Marítimo de La Guaira, the team that Trejo joined earlier this year, confirmed the news. It was revealed that Trejo’s wife, Yanina Maranella, and their two children, Aarón Trejo and Ainhoa Trejo, were among the thousands of people killed in the 7.2-magnitude and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes on June 24.
“In this moment of immense pain, we raise our prayers for the eternal rest of their souls and for the strength of Lucas and his loved ones to face this tragedy,” C.S. Marítimo de La Guaira shared in its statement on Instagram in Spanish. “Lucas, you’re not alone. Your family at Marítimo La Guaira is with you. We accompany you with all our hearts, with respect, unity, and solidarity. From the club, your teammates, technical staff, and directors: we send you a fraternal embrace.”
While speaking to CNN Español on June 26, Trejo’s brother-in-law, Ricardo Ardils, spoke about the tragedy. “What he found was a horrific scene,” Ardils said about Trejo. “He found absolutely nothing of what the building itself had been. Our hope is that they weren’t in there.”
Ardils noted that it was unclear if Trejo’s family was inside their apartment when the earthquakes hit. The professional athlete spent hours removing debris from the area.
Former Soccer Player Edson Tortolero Speaks Out After Helping Trejo With the 72-Hour Search For His Family.
Following a 72-hour search for Trejo’s family, former soccer player Edson Tortolero spoke out about the devastating loss.
“I say goodbye,” Tortolero shared in a June 28 Instagram post. “I’m sure that someday we will see each other again to celebrate another star. Thank you for everything. Here, we will be taking care and watching Luquera as he has been watching us since we met.”
He further shared, “God welcomes you with open arms, wonderful family. We pray for eternal life, beautiful angels. Faith and hope are the last things you should lose in life. We get up again and keep going.”
Along with Trejo’s family, Andrea Bello, the wife of fellow soccer player Héctor Bello, was killed while trying to shield their 20-month-old baby girl, Alana, from the earthquake debris.
“You’ll always be our favorite hero, Mommy,” Héctor wrote in an Instagram post on June 26. “I’m going to make sure our baby remembers how wonderful you were, how much you loved her.”