On Wednesday, June 24, Venezuela was hit by two strong earthquakes, magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, that rattled the capital Caracas and surrounding areas, leaving a trail of destruction across homes and infrastructure.
A community in mourning
Among the victims were Lucas Trejo, a defender for Deportivo la Guaira, and his wife Yanina Maranella, who died alongside their two young children, Aarón and Ainhoa, when their residence collapsed.
The tragedy deepened when Hector Bello, a player for Maritimo de la Guaira, announced that his wife Andrea Bello had been killed while shielding their one‑year‑old daughter Alana from falling debris.
Search teams, including fellow teammate Edson Tortolero, combed the rubble for days before confirming the recovery of the bodies on Saturday night, bringing a somber closure to the desperate hunt.
Venezuelan National Assembly leader Jorge Rodriguez later reported that the official death toll had risen to 1,430, with more than 2,300 injured and roughly 3,000 people left homeless, underscoring the scale of the disaster.
Deportivo la Guaira and other clubs issued statements of condolence, while the U.S. Geological Survey described the events as a rare seismic doublet, highlighting the unusual back‑to‑back nature of the quakes.
The earthquakes have not only shattered families but also strained emergency services, prompting regional cooperation and international aid as the country grapples with the aftermath.