The wife and two children of Argentine footballer Lucas Trejo have been found dead in Venezuela, following a catastrophic earthquake that has killed approximately 1,500 people in the South American nation. Trejo's spouse, Yanina Maranella, and their young children, Aaron and Ainhoa Trejo, were among the victims. The family was in Playa Grande when the earthquake struck, causing their apartment building to collapse.
Search ends in tragedy after 74 hours
Trejo had been searching frantically for his family after they went missing, a search that lasted 74 hours. Venezuelan football club Sport Maritimo de La Guaira, for which Trejo plays, confirmed the tragic news in an official statement. The club said: "Club Sport Maritimo La Guaira deeply mourns the loss suffered by Lucas Trejo's family; we ask for respect for his relatives and teammates. After a 74-hour search, they were found deceased."
Former Venezuela international Edson Tortolero, a teammate of Trejo's, shared the heartbreaking update on Instagram. He wrote: "We inform all the people of Venezuela and Argentina that the bodies of Lucas Trejo's family members have been found lifeless. We thank everyone for the support and ask for the most sincere respect for his family at this time. WE PRAY FOR ETERNAL LIFE FOR THEM."
Trejo's silence and family support
Trejo has not publicly addressed the loss, but he posted a picture of the four of them on his Instagram Stories without any accompanying words. Reports from Argentine media indicated that Trejo's father and brother had traveled to Venezuela to help him search for his loved ones.
Earthquake devastation across Venezuela
The earthquake, which struck on June 24, 2026, was measured at magnitude 7.2 by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). It was followed less than a minute later by a 7.5-magnitude aftershock. The disaster has left at least 69,000 people missing, with the region of La Guaira, north of the capital Caracas, suffering the most severe damage. Among the other confirmed victims is Venezuelan footballer Yiimvert Berroteran, 18, and Daisy Hernandez, wife of former Major League Baseball player Gorkys Hernandez.
Defender Héctor Bello, who plays for second-tier side Marítimo de La Guaira, also lost his wife, Andrea, when their home collapsed. Andrea sacrificed herself to protect their one-year-old daughter, using her body as a shield for the infant.
