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Venezuelan footballer shares heartbreak after wife dies saving daughter in earthquake
🇦🇷 Argentina /Disasters & Emergencies

Venezuelan footballer shares heartbreak after wife dies saving daughter in earthquake

From La Nación · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • A footballer shared a heartbreaking message after his wife died protecting their infant daughter during an earthquake in Venezuela.
  • The wife, Andrea, was found dead under rubble in their La Guaira apartment, but their baby, Alana, survived.
  • The earthquake caused nearly 1,000 deaths across Venezuela, with rescue efforts ongoing.

Héctor Bello, a footballer for Marítimo La Guaira, posted a devastating message on social media after his wife, Andrea, died shielding their one-year-old daughter during a building collapse caused by an earthquake in Venezuela. "Andrea, how do I explain to our daughter that you gave your life to save hers and I wasn't there to help you at that moment? I am bleeding, but I am not hurt. I am awake, but I feel nothing," Bello wrote, his words echoing the grief of thousands across the nation.

Andrea, how do I explain to our daughter that you gave your life to save hers and I wasn't there to help you at that moment? I am bleeding, but I am not hurt. I am awake, but I feel nothing.

— Héctor BelloThe footballer shared a heartbreaking message on social media following the death of his wife.

Rescuers found Andrea's body in their La Guaira apartment, but beneath her, their baby daughter Alana was alive. The infant, with a bruised eye and bandaged arm, was rushed to the hospital and reported to be in good condition. "They won't be discharged today, they will stay at the hospital," Bello added.

You will always be our favorite hero, I will make sure to remind our baby how wonderful you were, how much you loved her. I will tell her the story of how you saved her, how you gave your life for our daughter. But there is something I cannot forgive you for: you broke my heart, you left me alone.

— Héctor BelloHe wrote a message to his late wife, vowing to tell their daughter about her sacrifice.

Bello, known to fans as "Kike," faces what he described as the most difficult match of his life. He vowed to his late wife, "You will always be our favorite hero, I will make sure to remind our baby how wonderful you were, how much you loved her. I will tell her the story of how you saved her, how you gave your life for our daughter. But there is something I cannot forgive you for: you broke my heart, you left me alone."

We left you alone in the fight, mom. I am completely alone with our daughter. Give me strength now because I can't take it anymore.

— Héctor BelloBello expressed his despair and loneliness after losing his wife.

The earthquakes have claimed nearly 1,000 lives in Venezuela, and rescue operations continue. Experienced rescuers know that the chances of finding survivors diminish with each passing hour. In Chacao, one of the hardest-hit areas, a woman was rescued after more than 24 hours, while another survived 36 hours in La Guaira before being found.

When the earthquake started, I held onto the door frame with all my might, so hard that I broke a finger.

— Woman rescued after earthquakeA woman recounted her experience of surviving the earthquake.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by La Nación in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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