Argentine footballer Lucas Trejo has made an emotional public appeal for information about his wife and two children after they were reported missing in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake that struck Venezuela, leaving widespread destruction and plunging thousands of families into uncertainty.
The disaster has transformed a national tragedy into a deeply personal ordeal for the 38-year-old defender, who currently plays for Venezuelan second-division side Sport Marítimo La Guaira. Trejo revealed that the residential building where his family lived in Playa Grande collapsed during the powerful tremors, and he has been unable to establish contact with them since.
According to reports, Venezuela was hit on the night of 24 June by two major earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude. The twin quakes caused extensive damage across affected regions, bringing down buildings, disrupting infrastructure and triggering a large-scale emergency response.
Authorities have confirmed at least 164 deaths and more than 1,000 injuries. Rescue operations remain under way as emergency teams continue searching through collapsed structures for survivors. Local officials have warned that many people may still be trapped beneath the rubble, while media reports suggest that thousands remain unaccounted for.
Among those desperately awaiting news of loved ones is Trejo, whose wife, Yanina Maraneya, and their two children, Aaron and Ainhoa, were believed to be at or near the apartment building that collapsed in Playa Grande.
In a heartfelt message posted on Instagram, the Argentine defender shared his anguish and appealed to the public for help.
“Our building in Playa Grande has collapsed. I have no news of my family,” Trejo 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, drawing widespread support from football supporters, fellow players and members of the sporting community in both Argentina and Venezuela. Thousands shared the appeal in the hope that information about his missing family might emerge as rescue efforts continue.
Trejo’s plight has become one of the most poignant human stories to emerge from the disaster. Behind the casualty figures and images of destruction are countless families enduring the agony of uncertainty, waiting for any sign of relatives who have disappeared amid the chaos.
The experienced defender has spent much of his professional career in Venezuelan football and is regarded as a familiar figure within the country’s domestic game. Yet football has understandably faded into the background as he confronts the possibility of an unimaginable personal loss.
Across the affected regions, rescue workers, military personnel, volunteers and emergency responders continue round-the-clock operations. Heavy machinery is being deployed to clear debris, while specialist teams carefully search damaged buildings for signs of life. Hospitals and temporary shelters remain under pressure as authorities attempt to cope with the scale of the disaster.
Natural disasters of this magnitude often leave lasting scars on communities, destroying homes, disrupting livelihoods and separating families in an instant. For many Venezuelans, the immediate concern is not rebuilding damaged infrastructure but finding loved ones whose fate remains unknown.
Trejo’s appeal has resonated far beyond the football world because it reflects the anguish being experienced by thousands of families across the country. As search efforts continue, hopes remain that survivors may still be found and that those missing can be reunited with their relatives.
For now, however, the whereabouts of Trejo’s wife and children remain unknown, leaving the footballer and countless others clinging to hope amid one of Venezuela’s most devastating natural disasters in recent years.