Argentine soccer star Lucas Trejo loses wife, 2 children in quakes
Argentine soccer player Lucas Trejo lost his wife Yanina Maranella and their two children, Aaron and Ainhoa, after twin earthquakes demolished their La Guaira apartment building on June 24. The kids soccer family's deaths were confirmed Sunday by Club Sport Marítimo La Guaira after Trejo searched rubble for three days. The tragedy has drawn global attention to one of the deadliest seismic disasters in Venezuela's modern history.
Key Takeaways
- Lucas Trejo, 38, plays for second-division Club Sport Marítimo de La Guaira in Venezuela.
- His wife Yanina and children Aaron and Ainhoa died when their Playa Grande building collapsed.
- Trejo was at a team camp in Caracas when magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 quakes struck 39 seconds apart.
- He dug through debris by hand for roughly 74 hours before rescue teams recovered the bodies.
- Fellow Marítimo player Héctor Bello also lost his wife Andrea, who died shielding their daughter.
Who is Lucas Trejo and what happened to his family?
Lucas Trejo is an Argentine center back who has lived in Venezuela for years while playing for Club Sport Marítimo de La Guaira. He, his wife Yanina Maranella, and their young son Aaron and daughter Ainhoa lived in a waterfront apartment in Playa Grande, La Guaira.
When powerful twin earthquakes hit on Wednesday, June 24, Trejo was at a team training concentration in Caracas. He raced home to find what his brother-in-law Ricardo Ardiles later described to CNN as a horrific scene with nothing left of the building.
Ardiles told CNN the family did not know whether Yanina and the children were inside the apartment when it collapsed, but hope faded as the search stretched on. Trejo's father and brother traveled from Argentina to join firefighters, military personnel, and volunteers in the effort.
How did Trejo search for his wife and children?
Before their deaths were confirmed, Trejo told Noticias Telemundo he was going through the rubble with his hands because heavy machinery was scarce or too small to move large debris. He pleaded on social media for rescue dogs and equipment, asking supporters not to stop praying for his family.
The search lasted roughly three days, about 74 hours, before workers recovered the bodies of Yanina, Aaron, and Ainhoa from the rubble. Trejo also chased rumors that a child had been pulled alive from the building, visiting hospitals in a desperate attempt to locate his son.
How devastating were the Venezuela earthquakes?
The quakes struck northern Venezuela on June 24, with a magnitude 7.2 tremor near San Felipe followed 39 seconds later by a magnitude 7.5 quake near Yumare. La Guaira, where Trejo's family lived, was among the hardest-hit areas.
Venezuelan authorities said Sunday that more than 1,500 people had died and tens of thousands remained unaccounted for. Reporting from The Guardian described the event as one of the largest earthquakes to strike the country in more than a century.
What has the soccer world said about the losses?
Club Sport Marítimo de La Guaira announced the deaths Sunday in an Instagram post featuring a family photo, offering condolences to Trejo. Fellow Argentine footballer Edson Tortolero, a close friend, publicly mourned the family's loss.
The tragedy is not isolated within the sport. Teammate Héctor Bello's wife Andrea died using her body to shield their one-year-old daughter Alana during the same quakes; Alana survived and was rescued, according to NBC New York and The Guardian.
For more developing stories on athletes and public figures, follow our Celebrity Breaking News coverage.