Argentine footballer Trejo loses family in devastating Venezuela quakes

Argentine footballer Lucas Trejo has lost his wife and two children after the apartment building they were in collapsed during last week's twin earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 that struck Venezuela's northern coast.

Several media outlets including Fox News reported that rescue workers recovered the bodies of Trejo's wife, Yanina Maranella, and their children, Aaron and Ainhoa, after a 74-hour search through the rubble.

Trejo, 38, who plays for Venezuelan club Sport Maritimo de La Guaira, was in Caracas with his team when the earthquakes struck. After learning that his family's apartment building in Playa Grande had collapsed, he rushed to the disaster zone and appealed on social media for information as rescue efforts continued.

His father and brother also travelled from Argentina to assist firefighters, military personnel and volunteers searching through the debris.

His club confirmed the deaths in a statement, while tributes poured in from across the South American football community. Fellow Argentine footballer Edson Tortolero described the loss as "unimaginable".