Argentine footballer loses wife and two children in Venezuela earthquakes

Lucas Trejo, an Argentine midfielder for Venezuelan second-division side Club Sport Marítimo La Guaira, returned to his home in La Guaira after two strong tremors struck the region on Sunday. The earthquakes, described by the U.S. Geological Survey as a rare doublet occurring 39 seconds apart, destroyed his beachfront house and left his family missing.

Trejo’s brother-in-law, Ricardo Ardiles, told CNN Español that the player was "emotionally overwhelmed" and that "absolutely nothing" remained of the home. Trejo spent three days searching the rubble before confirming that his wife Yanina and children Aarón and Ainhoa had perished.

Teammates and local clubs appealed for heavy-duty equipment to aid the search. > "Right now we only have one machine, but it’s not enough," said Robert Garcés of Metropolitanos F.C.

Club Sport Marítimo La Guaira posted a condolence message on social media, saying it "deeply mourns the irreparable loss" of Trejo’s family and offering support to the player.

The disaster, which has killed more than 1,400 people and left thousands missing, also claimed the lives of several other footballers, including youth international Yimvert Berroteran and players Víctor Palacios and Razan Sijaa. Foreign nationals were among the dead, with reports of Chinese and Spanish citizens killed or missing.