Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Tragedy has struck the life of Argentine footballer Lucas Trejo, whose wife and two young children have been confirmed dead following the devastating twin earthquakes that rocked Venezuela on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. After a desperate 74-hour search through the rubble of his family's collapsed apartment building, rescue crews recovered the bodies of his wife, Yanina Maranella, and their children, Aaron and Ainhoa.
Trejo, a 38-year-old defender for Venezuelan second-division side Club Sport Marítimo de La Guaira, was in Caracas attending a team training camp when the earthquakes struck. The first tremor registered a magnitude of 7.2, followed just 39 seconds later by a powerful 7.5-magnitude aftershock. The earthquakes, described by the US Geological Survey as a rare "doublet," were the strongest to hit Venezuela in more than a century, causing widespread destruction across the northern coast.
Upon learning that his family's apartment building in the Playa Grande area of La Guaira state had collapsed, Trejo immediately rushed home—about 18 miles north of the capital—only to find the building reduced to rubble. Trejo's brother-in-law, Ricardo Ardiles, described the scene as "horrific," telling CNN that Trejo "found absolutely nothing of what the building itself had been". "Our hope is that they weren't in there," Ardiles said.
In the early hours of the search, Trejo took to Instagram with a desperate plea: "Our building in Playa Grande collapsed. I don't know anything about my family. Please pray for them and share this message in case someone saw them. I want to believe they weren't there". His father and brother immediately traveled from Argentina to Venezuela to join the search alongside firefighters, military personnel, and volunteers.
For more than three days, Trejo searched through the debris and appealed for additional heavy machinery as rescue efforts continued. The search ended in heartbreak on Sunday, June 28, 2026, when Club Sport Marítimo La Guaira confirmed the deaths of Trejo's wife and children. "Club Sport Maritimo La Guaira deeply mourns the irreparable loss of our player's wife and children," the club said in a statement. "We share Lucas Trejo's immense grief over the passing of his wife, Yanina Maranella, and their two children, Aarón and Ainhoa. The entire coaching staff, players, and fans stand by him during this difficult time".
The tragedy has prompted an outpouring of support from across the South American football community. Fellow Argentine footballer and close friend Edson Tortolero, who was directly involved in supporting the rescue efforts, shared the heartbreaking news: "Today my heart breaks into a thousand pieces. There are no words that can ease so much pain. I ask God to give Lucas strength to endure this unimaginable loss". Trejo's club also issued a message of solidarity: "Lucas, you are not alone. Your family at Maritime La Guaira is with you".
The disaster has devastated Venezuela's northern coast, with authorities reporting more than 1,400 deaths and tens of thousands still missing. The football community has also suffered losses, with Venezuelan youth international Yimvert Berroteran among those confirmed dead. For Lucas Trejo, the 74-hour search ended in the worst possible outcome—a loss that has left the football world in mourning and a family shattered by one of the most powerful earthquakes to hit Venezuela in over a century.
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