A Venezuelan footballer has been left devastated after his wife died protecting their one-year-old daughter during a major earthquake.
Héctor Bello, a defender for Venezuela’s second division side Marítimo de La Guaira, confirmed the death of his wife Andrea after their building collapsed in the disaster.
Rescuers found Andrea’s body among the rubble where she had used her own body to shield her baby daughter.
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Luckily, the infant survived and was rescued alive.
In raw social media posts, Bello shared his heartbreak: “You left us alone in the fight, mummy.
“You left me all alone with our daughter.”
He added in a second emotional message: “How do I tell that to my daughter?
“Andrea, how do I explain to your daughter that you lost your life to save hers and I wasn’t there in that moment to do anything?
“How do I explain? Give me strength now because I can’t take any more.”
He wrote today (26 Jun): “You’ll always be our favourite hero, Mummy.
“I’m going to make sure our baby remembers how wonderful you were, how much you loved her.
“I’ll tell her the story of how you saved her, how you gave your own life for our daughter, how you were a brave woman who, even with your last breath, never abandoned her.”
Bello, also known as ‘Kike’, who plays as a central defender and spent the bulk of his career at Zulia FC, added: “You would laugh all in love and your cheeks would turn red.
“Oh Andrea, Mummy, I can’t handle this, my love, I really can’t.”
The messages moved football fans and the wider public, with tributes pouring in for the family.
The couple had welcomed their daughter Alana only months earlier.
The double earthquake struck Venezuela on 24 June, with reported magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5.
The tremors caused widespread destruction, particularly in coastal areas including La Guaira State where the family lived, as reported by Need To Know.
The authorities report at least 235 dead and over 4,300 injured, with search and rescue operations continuing.
Venezuela’s football federation has also confirmed the death of another player, Yordelis Pereira, highlighting the disaster’s impact on the sporting community.
As Bello faces the challenge of raising their daughter alone, the football world continues to rally around the 28-year-old player during his unimaginable loss.
