Get you up to speed: Footballer pays tribute after wife dies heroically shielding daughter, 1, in Venezuela earthquakes | News World
Andrea Bello died protecting her one-year-old daughter, Alana, during powerful earthquakes in Venezuela. The earthquakes, which struck near the capital Caracas, resulted in at least 589 confirmed deaths and left nearly 50,000 people missing.
Search and rescue teams are continuing operations in the aftermath of the earthquakes, with nearly 50,000 individuals reported missing. The Venezuelan football federation has confirmed additional casualties, including the death of player Yordelis Pereira, highlighting the widespread impact on local communities.
Héctor Bello, the husband of Andrea Bello, confirmed her death while saving their daughter during the earthquakes, expressing his grief and thanking supporters for their compassion. The Venezuelan football federation announced the death of another player, Yordelis Pereira, amid ongoing relief efforts for the nearly 50,000 missing individuals and the estimated 10,000 predicted fatalities.
What remains unclear — The total number of casualties and missing persons due to the earthquakes has not yet been confirmed.
Footballer Héctor Bello pays tribute to wife who died protecting their daughter in Venezuela earthquakes
Andrea Bello has died protecting her daughter from the earthquakes (Picture: Héctor Bello/Instagram)
The body of brave mum Andrea Bello was discovered protecting her one-year-old daughter after the earthquakes broke out in Venezuela.
Her husband, Marítimo de La Guaira player Héctor Bello, penned an emotional tribute to her, asking for ‘strength’.
Miraculously, their toddler, Alana, survived thanks to her mum’s sacrifice and was discovered under the rubble in time by search and rescue.
Nearly 50,000 people are missing and at least 589 people have died following magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes in and around the capital Caracas on Thursday.
The rare double strike, which were 39 seconds apart, was the strongest since 1900, according to the US Geological Survey.
The organisation has also predicted more than 10,000 deaths.
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Footballer Héctor Bello penned an emotional tribute to his wife (Picture: Héctor Bello/Instagram)
On social media, the Venezuelan defender said she had ‘left them alone in the fight’, leaving him ‘all alone’ with their little girl.
‘How do I tell that to my daughter?’ Héctor wrote. ‘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.’
In another message today, he added: ‘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.’
Remembering his wife, Héctor – also known as Kike – shared how her cheeks would ‘turn red’ when she laughed ‘all in love’.
‘Oh Andrea, Mummy, I can’t handle this, my love, I really can’t.’
One-year-old Alana is recovering in hospital but is doing well (Picture: Héctor Bello/Instagram)
The heartbroken dad shared a snap of Alana after the earthquake, sporting a huge black eye and cuts around her eyebrow.
‘You won’t see your daddy looking strong or smiling like always, but I promise I’ll heal and make you the happiest girl in the world,’ he penned.
Alana is still in the hospital along with her aunt, after the pair were saved from their home, which had collapsed in the earthquakes.
In another post, he said: ‘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 continued to share information about the Venezuelan relief efforts, as well as more tributes to his wife and updates on his daughter.
The country’s football federation also confirmed the death of Yordelis Pereira, a player for Academia Puerto Cabello.
The earthquakes have left thousands homeless, particularly around the coast and La Guaira State, where Héctor and Andrea lived.
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