A Nation in Mourning
Argentine soccer star Lucas Trejo is grappling with an unfathomable loss after a pair of devastating earthquakes struck Venezuela on June 24, wiping out the apartment where his wife Yanina Maranella and their two young children, Aarón and Ainhoa, had been living.
The twin tremors, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale, ripped through the coastal city of La Guaira, flattening the building that housed the family and leaving a trail of destruction across the neighborhood.
Trejo had traveled to Caracas with his club Deportivo la Guaira for a training camp, a routine he shares with teammates as they prepare for upcoming fixtures, only to find himself caught in the midst of a natural disaster of unprecedented scale.
Shortly after the disaster, the club and fellow player Edson Tortolero issued a joint statement confirming that the bodies of Trejo’s family had been recovered, while urging the public and media to respect the family’s privacy during this painful period.
The earthquakes have become the deadliest natural disaster to hit Venezuela in a century, leaving more than 900 confirmed dead and over 3,300 injured, with upwards of 50,000 still unaccounted for as rescue teams from around the world continue their search.
Lucas Trejo, a native of Córdoba, Argentina, began his professional career in the late 2000s after stints in Greece, returned to South America in 2012 and most recently signed with Marítimo in February, a move that now takes on a poignant significance.
Messages of solidarity have poured in from across the football community, with clubs, former teammates and fans alike extending condolences and calling for a collective pause to honor those who have perished.