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The wife of former Major League Baseball player Gorkys Hernandez has died in the Venezuela earthquakes.
Hernandez, 38, took to social media on Saturday to confirm the devastating news about his partner Deisy, 36, after a rare double-earthquake ravaged the country on Wednesday. The death toll has reached 1,430 as of early Saturday evening.
Reports in Venezuela have said that Deisy was in a luxury hotel with family members of other players on Hernandez's La Guaira Delfines baseball team.
Hernandez and his fellow players rushed to the hotel after the back-to-back 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes hit in the space of 39 seconds, but his wife could not be saved.
'Queen of my life, you are and always will be the most beautiful, lovely, precious, the best woman in the world, the one who always found a way to lift me up in bad times,' Hernandez wrote.
'You were and are the most beautiful woman in my life. You will always be with me, at every hour and in every moment. Fly high, my princess, my queen. May God have you in his glory and guide me to keep going and lift up our family.
'I love you, I love you. Rest in peace, my girl. Give strength, love of my life, because we had a mission, and here I am to fulfill it for you.
'You taught me to be strong at any moment in life, which is not easy, but you love me this way, and that's how it will be. My warrior, Deisy Maria Tovar De Hernandez.'
Hernandez played in MLB for six seasons and is currently signed to a team in his native Venezuela.
He made his breakthrough into the big leagues with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2012 and also features for the San Francisco Giants and the Boston Red Sox.
The death toll in Venezuela is expected to rise further in the coming days. Families have reported at least 68,900 people missing as of Saturday.
Aid agencies consider the first 48 to 72 hours as crucial for retrieving people alive, though that can be extended if they have access to food and water.
Venezuelan officials said 17 flights carrying more than 1,600 rescue team members had touched down by Saturday.
