Who was Lucas Gámez, the Argentine child found dead in Venezuela

Lucas Gámez, a nine-year-old Argentine boy, has been found dead in Venezuela after being intensely searched for following two earthquakes that struck the country in mid-June. The young boy had celebrated his birthday just days before the disaster.

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Thus we honor your life that we will soon embrace.

Lucas, born in Buenos Aires in 2017, was visiting a department in La Guaira with his uncle when the earthquakes hit. His parents, of Venezuelan origin, had moved to Argentina in 2013 but decided to return to Venezuela earlier this year for personal reasons.

On his birthday, his mother, Blancalida Martínez Coronado, shared a heartfelt message on Instagram, posting a picture of a chocolate cake with a candle. "Thus we honor your life that we will soon embrace," she wrote, clinging to hope for his safe return.

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Lucas turns 9 years old. While many children blow out candles on a cake today, he has taught us that hope can also be kept alive in the darkness.

Venezuelan comedian Kristopher Kerezsy also shared posts accompanying the family, reflecting on Lucas's birthday. "Lucas turns 9 years old. While many children blow out candles on a cake today, he has taught us that hope can also be kept alive in the darkness," Kerezsy wrote. In a prayer, the comedian expressed, "Lord Jesus, today we do not ask you for a gift... we ask you for a miracle. Give Lucas the opportunity to hug his mother again, to hear his name again, to open his eyes and celebrate life with those who love him with all their heart."

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Lord Jesus, today we do not ask you for a gift... we ask you for a miracle. Give Lucas the opportunity to hug his mother again, to hear his name again, to open his eyes and celebrate life with those who love him with all their heart.