Between the fallen buildings, the blocked streets and the messages that do not arrive, the tragedy of the earthquake in Venezuela began to have its own names. One of them is that of Lucas Trejo, an Argentine soccer player who plays for the Club Sport Marítimo de La Guaira and who is desperately searching for his wife and two children after the collapse of the building where they lived.

Trejo, a 38-year-old defender, asked for help on social networks to try to find his family. According to Argentine media, his wife, Yanina Maranella, and their children, Aarón and Ainhoa, were in Playa Grande, one of the areas affected by the earthquakes in La Guaira.

"Our building in Playa Grande collapsed. I don't know anything about my family. Please pray for them and spread this message in case someone saw them. I want to believe they weren't there," the player wrote on Instagram, in a message that quickly began to circulate among users, clubs and journalists.

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A search in the midst of collapse

Trejo's request summarizes one of the most painful scenes left by the double earthquake: families searching for relatives among failed calls, unanswered messages and videos of buildings reduced to rubble.

La Guaira, where the footballer lives, was indicated by different reports as one of the most affected areas. There were landslides, severe damage to buildings and cuts to basic services. Neighbors and rescuers worked among the rubble while many people tried to confirm if their loved ones were alive.

For those who are far away, the anguish multiplies. Not knowing if a person is not responding because they lost signal, because they were evacuated, or because they were trapped turns every minute into an unbearable wait.

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La Guaira, one of the hardest hit areas

La Guaira is in the north of Venezuela, near Caracas and the Simón Bolívar international airport. It is a coastal, tourist area and very busy, especially on holidays.

The earthquake hit that region hard. International reports indicated that dozens of buildings collapsed and that authorities declared it a disaster area. Damage to key infrastructure, problems in hospitals and difficulties maintaining stable communications were also reported.

In this scenario, the search for Trejo's family became one of the stories that show the human dimension of the emergency: behind every figure there is someone waiting for a call, a photo, a response or a signal.