Toronto Sun
An Argentine soccer player is mourning the loss of his wife and two children in the devastating earthquakes that struck Venezuela last week. Lucas Trejo, a player for Club Sport Marítimo La Guaira, was at his team’s training camp in Caracas when the earthquakes hit.
Trejo rushed to his home in La Guaira, about 27 kilometres north of the capital, and spent days searching for signs of his wife Yanina and their kids, son Aaron and daughter Ainhoa. La Guaira was one of the hardest-hit areas after a severe seismic doublet sequence struck 39 seconds apart.
Trejo’s brother-in-law described the soccer player as “emotionally overwhelmed” and said that “absolutely nothing” was left of the family’s beachfront home. “What he found was a horrific scene,” he said. “He found absolutely nothing of what the building itself had been. Our hope is that they weren’t in there.”
As Trejo continued his search, other soccer players made videos pleading for more machinery to be sent to the city to aid in the search efforts. “This is where we are, one of the many affected buildings. I want you to see the conditions here,” Robert Garces, a player for Venezuela’s Metropolitanos F.C., said in a video. “We really need help. I’m here with many professional soccer players, giving our all to help our brother Lucas. But we’re not enough.”
Garces asked for a telescopic crane, a cordless grinder, and more help to aid in the search efforts. “A more serious helping hand would be a huge help, since the only machine we have right now isn’t enough.”
Deportivo La Guaira, a top-tier Liga FUTVE club, shared their condolences for Trejo’s family, saying they join the grief that overwhelms him. “From the #DLG we join the grief that overwhelms player Lucas Trejo, for the sensitive passing of his wife, Yanina Maranella, and of his children, Aarón and Ainhoa Trejo,” the team wrote.
Trejo’s own club, Marítimo La Guaira, also shared the news on social media and sent a message to their player. “In this moment of immense sorrow, we offer our prayers for the eternal rest of their souls and for the strength of Lucas and his loved ones to face this tragedy,” they wrote.
Marítimo La Guaira also shared the tragic news that two of the club’s youth players, Ricardo Veloz and Victor Palacios, were also killed in the earthquakes. More than 1,400 people died and thousands more are missing in Venezuela, authorities said. The search has now surpassed the first 72 hours – the most critical window for finding survivors.
