Footballer’s Family Missing After Devastating Venezuela Earthquake

Argentine footballer Lucas Trejo has made an emotional public appeal for information about his wife and two children after they were reported missing following a devastating earthquake that struck Venezuela, leaving widespread destruction, hundreds dead and thousands unaccounted for.

The tragedy has transformed a national disaster into a deeply personal ordeal for the 38-year-old defender, whose family is feared to have been caught in the collapse of a residential building in the coastal community of Playa Grande.

Venezuela was rocked on the night of 24 June by two powerful earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude. The twin tremors caused extensive damage across several areas, toppling buildings, disrupting infrastructure and triggering large-scale rescue operations. According to official reports, at least 164 people have been confirmed dead and more than 1,000 injured, while many others remain trapped beneath rubble. Media reports have suggested that as many as 11,000 people are currently listed as missing, although rescue efforts remain ongoing and the exact number has yet to be fully verified.

Among those desperately awaiting news of loved ones is Trejo, who currently plays for Venezuelan second-division side Sport Marítimo La Guaira. The experienced Argentine, who has spent much of his career in Venezuelan football, revealed that the apartment building where his family lived was completely destroyed during the earthquake.

Since the collapse, he has been unable to establish contact with his wife, Yanina Maraneya, or their two children, Aaron and Ainhoa.

In a heartfelt message shared on Instagram, Trejo described the anguish of not knowing whether his family had survived the disaster.

“Our building in Playa Grande has collapsed. I have no news of my family,” he wrote. “Please pray for them, and if anyone has seen them, share this message. I want to believe they were not inside the building at the time. Please pray for my family.”

The message quickly spread across social media platforms, drawing an outpouring of support from football supporters, fellow players and members of the sporting community in both Argentina and Venezuela. Thousands of users shared his appeal in the hope that information about his family might emerge as rescue teams continue searching affected areas.

Trejo’s plight has become one of the most poignant human stories to emerge from the disaster. While official casualty figures continue to rise, countless families across the country are experiencing similar uncertainty as they wait anxiously for news of missing relatives.

The earthquake has left emergency services facing a monumental challenge. Rescue workers, military personnel and volunteers have been deployed to the worst-affected regions, where they are racing against time to locate survivors trapped beneath collapsed structures. Heavy machinery is being used in some locations, while specialised teams continue painstaking searches through debris in areas where signs of life may still exist.

Natural disasters of this magnitude often leave communities grappling with long-term consequences, including homelessness, disrupted public services and psychological trauma. For many families, however, the immediate concern remains the fate of missing loved ones.

Trejo, who is in the latter stages of his professional career, now finds himself confronting a crisis far removed from football. His search for his family reflects the heartbreak being experienced by thousands of Venezuelans whose lives have been upended in a matter of moments.

As rescue operations continue around the clock, relatives across the affected regions remain gathered near shelters, hospitals and disaster response centres, hoping for news. Among them is Trejo, whose appeal has resonated far beyond the football world and become a symbol of the human cost of one of Venezuela’s most devastating natural disasters in recent years.

For now, the fate of his wife and children remains unknown, while hopes persist that rescuers may yet uncover survivors amid the wreckage left behind by the powerful earthquakes.