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The 74-hour search for the family of Argentine soccer star Lucas Trejo ended this weekend after rescue teams recovered the bodies of his wife and two children from the rubble of the building that collapsed in Wednesday’s twin earthquakes.
Trejo, 38, a central defender for Venezuelan club Sport Maritimo de La Guaira, was in Caracas with his team when earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 struck the country’s northern coast.
Footballer Lucas Trejo lost his wife and two children after devastating earthquakes in Venezuela. (Photo credit: FEDERICO PARRA/AFP via Getty Images) ((Photo credit should read FEDERICO PARRA/AFP via Getty Images))
After learning that his family’s apartment building had collapsed in Playa Grande, La Guaira, he immediately went to the disaster area to join the search.
“Our building in Playa Grande collapsed. I don’t know anything about my family,” Trejo wrote on Instagram in the first hours of the search. “Please pray for them and share this message in case anyone sees them. I want to believe they weren’t there.”
33 SAVED FROM VENEZUEAN RUBBLE: THE WINDOW OF SURVIVAL IS DESPERATELY SHINING WITH NEARLY 50,000 MISSING
Trejo’s father and brother came from Argentina to help firefighters, military personnel and volunteers search through the debris.
Two earthquakes have devastated Venezuela’s northern coast, causing widespread damage as emergency teams continue recovery efforts. (Photo by Javier Campos/photo alliance via Getty Images) ((Photo by Javier Campos/photo alliance via Getty Images))
The search ended after rescuers found the bodies of Trejo’s wife, Yanina Maranella, and their children, Aaron and Ainhoa.
The tragedy sparked an outpouring of support from across the South American football community.
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Argentine footballer Edson Tortolero, a close friend of Trejo, mourned the family’s death.
“Today my heart is breaking into a million pieces,” Tortolero wrote. “There are no words that can ease so much pain. I ask God to give Lucas the strength to endure this unimaginable loss.”
Club Sport Maritimo de La Guaira confirmed the deaths in a statement on Sunday.
The 74-hour search ended in heartbreak for defender Lucas Trejo after rescuers found his family. (Photo by NORBERTO DUARTE / AFP) (Photo by NORBERTO DUARTE/AFP via Getty Images) ((Photo by NORBERTO DUARTE / AFP) (Photo by NORBERTO DUARTE/AFP via Getty Images))
“We join in the grief that overwhelms player Lucas Trejo following the death of his wife, Yanina Maranella, and his children, Aaron and Ainhoa Trejo,” the club said. “Peace to their souls and comfort to Lucas and all his loved ones.”
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Trejo’s family is among the victims of the earthquakes that devastated parts of Venezuela’s northern coast. Emergency crews remain in the area as recovery efforts continue.
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