Footballer dies in Venezuela's back-to-back quakes

Following the tragic death of Ghana’s Christian Atsu in 2023, another footballer has died after being caught in Venezuela's devastating earthquake.

Yimvert Berroteran, an 18-year-old Venezuelan footballer, reportedly died after being trapped under rubble following back-to-back earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude that struck the country’s northern region on Wednesday, June 24, 2026.

Journalist Jair Pineda confirmed the news on X on Sunday.

“We are in a position to confirm that, after 24 hours of intense work trying to rescue him, the Venezuelan Yimvert Berroteran did not survive and unfortunately his body was recovered,” Pineda wrote.

The Venezuela Under-17 international was reportedly found beneath debris after the earthquakes, which have killed more than 900 people.

Berroteran, who played for Venezuelan club Universidad Central, is said to have been trapped for more than 24 hours before his body was recovered.

He was considered one of Venezuela’s rising football stars and had represented his country at the Under-17 World Cup last year.

The tragedy has drawn comparisons to the death of Ghanaian footballer Christian Atsu, who died at the age of 31 following the devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on February 6, 2023.

Atsu’s body was recovered from the rubble of his apartment building in Antakya, Turkey, on February 18, 2023.