Footballer’s wife died saving toddler daughter’s life as Venezuela earthquake death toll nears 1,000
A footballer’s wife was killed in Venezuela’s devastating earthquakes as she acted to save the life of her one-year-old daughter.
Rescuers found Andrea Bello’s body among the rubble, but her daughter Alana survived following her mother’s efforts to shield her during their home’s collapse.
In raw social media posts, husband Hector Bello, a defender for Venezuela’s second division side Marítimo de La GuairaBello shared his heartbreak, saying: ‘You left us alone in the fight, mummy. You left me all alone with our 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.’
Meanwhile, a British search and rescue team has been deployed to Venezuela, where the death toll from Wednesday’s earthquakes reached almost 1,000.
And in a message on X tonight, the King said he and the Queen were deeply saddened’ and sent ‘our most heartfelt condolences to all those affected by this terrible tragedy’.
Bello continued his tributes to his late wife by saying: ‘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.
Andrea (pictured), the wife of footballer Héctor Bello, died saving their daughter’s life during the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude quakes that struck Venezuela on Wednesday
A view shows a heavily damaged apartment building following an earthquake in Catia La Mar, La Guaira state
‘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, a central defender also known as ‘Kike’, 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 who had welcomed their daughter only months earlier.
The 68-strong new British team, made up of personnel from fire brigades across the country, left RAF Brize Norton on Friday along with six specialist search dogs and humanitarian staff.
