Andrea Bello was killed in the earthquakes on Wednesday, June 24
Credit: Instagram
NEED TO KNOW
- Andrea Bello died shielding her 1-year-old daughter during Venezuela’s back-to-back earthquakes on Wednesday, June 24
- Her husband, soccer player Héctor Bello, called her a “hero” in a tribute posted on Instagram
- The earthquakes have reportedly left at least 920 dead and 50,000 missing
A mother died while protecting her baby daughter during the devastating back-to-back earthquakes in Venezuela.
Héctor Bello, a soccer player for Marítimo de La Guaira, announced on Instagram that his wife, Andrea Bello, was killed as she shielded their 1-year-old daughter, Alana, from the earthquakes on Wednesday, June 24.
"You'll always be our favorite hero, Mommy. I'm going to make sure our baby remembers how wonderful you were, how much you loved her," Héctor captioned a photo of Andrea shared on Instagram on Friday, June 26.
"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 breaths, never abandoned her," he continued.
Credit: Instagram
Venezuela was hit by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake, quickly followed by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake in a “severe seismic doublet sequence,” according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The event is believed to be the largest earthquake in the South American country in over a century.
The Venezuelan soccer press and publicity organization, Cumaná de Campeones, confirmed in an Instagram post that Andrea was "found dead in the rubble" of the collapsed building where she lived following the earthquakes.
"[Their] daughter survived the collapse of the building where the entire family lived," the organization wrote.
"The entire state of Sucre and the entire football community embrace you and stand with you in respect and solidarity, hoping you find peace in this time of sorrow," they added.
Credit: Edilzon Gamez/Getty
Héctor called his late wife a “hero” for saving their daughter, adding in another Instagram post that he is heartbroken over her death.
“My daughter … I need you to be strong. Just wait a little longer. I need you to be the one to heal my heart, which is in pieces,” he wrote. “You won't see your daddy strong or smiling like always, but I promise to heal and make you the happiest girl in the world.”
“Now it's just you and me and your mommy watching over us from heaven. I know Andrea will give me strength,” Héctor continued. “…Through all this suffering, I know that if she had a minute to say something to me, she would tell me to protect you with my life like she did…”
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The death toll in Venezuela's earthquakes has risen to 920, with 3,360 others injured, the president of Venezuela's National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, confirmed on Friday, per the BBC.
Around 50,000 people remain missing, PEOPLE previously reported. The event is believed to be the largest earthquake in the South American country in over a century.
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