Venezuelan footballer Héctor Bello has paid an emotional tribute to his wife, Andrea, who died while saving their young daughter during the devastating earthquakes that struck Venezuela this week.
According to local media reports and messages shared by Bello on Instagram, Andrea sacrificed her life to protect the couple’s toddler when two powerful earthquakes hit near the capital, Caracas, on Wednesday. The disaster has so far claimed at least 920 lives and left more than 3,000 people injured, with rescue teams continuing to search through collapsed buildings for survivors.
In a heartbreaking message, Bello wrote that he would one day tell his daughter how her mother gave everything to save her life.
“I’ll tell her the story of how you saved her, my love – how you gave your own life for our daughter, how you were a brave woman who never abandoned her, even as you took your last breaths,” he wrote.
The footballer also shared updates about his daughter and her aunt, saying both remain in hospital but are recovering.
“My daughter and her aunt are doing well. They won’t be discharged today – they’re staying at the hospital. Thank you so much for supporting me through this immense pain,” he said in another post.
In a separate tribute, Bello expressed his grief and guilt at not being with his family during the tragedy.
“How do I explain to your daughter that you lost your life to save hers, and that I wasn’t there to do anything? How do I explain it? Give me strength now,” he wrote.
Venezuelan football organisation Cumaná de Campeones also confirmed Andrea’s death, saying she was found beneath the rubble after the earthquake destroyed the building where the family lived. The group noted that the couple’s daughter miraculously survived the collapse.
The tragedy involving Bello’s family is one of many heartbreaking stories emerging from the country’s worst natural disaster in decades.
The Venezuelan Football Federation and local clubs have also confirmed the deaths of two young footballers. Caracas Fútbol Club announced that its under-18 player Razan Sijaa and several family members died when their home in La Guaira collapsed.
Club Sport San Agustín also mourned the loss of youth player Victor Palacios, describing him as someone who left an “indelible mark” on the club’s academy. The Venezuelan Football Federation said Palacios had also represented Marítimo de La Guaira.
Elsewhere, former Miss Venezuela Giselle Reyes revealed that her mother died after the earthquakes caused her apartment building in La Guaira to collapse. Reyes said her mother suffered a fatal heart attack triggered by the shock of the disaster, according to information provided by the nurse caring for her, who survived.
The twin earthquakes, including a magnitude 7.5 tremor, have devastated northern Venezuela, particularly the coastal state of La Guaira. Hundreds of buildings have been destroyed, communications disrupted and thousands displaced.
Rescue crews from Venezuela and several foreign countries continue to search through the rubble, while families across the nation anxiously await news of missing loved ones as the death toll is expected to rise further in the coming days.
