Soccer star Lucas Trejo's worst nightmare didn't end when the shaking stopped ... it ended three days later, when rescuers found the bodies of his wife and two young children.

The Argentine player was with his club in Caracas when Venezuela's devastating earthquakes tore through the country last week ... and while he desperately waited for news, teammates, volunteers and family members searched nonstop for his loved ones.

Authorities confirmed Saturday night that Trejo's wife, Yanina Maranella, and the couple's children, Aarón and Ainhoa, had all been found dead after spending roughly 72 hours missing beneath the rubble.

The tragedy has rocked Venezuela's soccer community ... with former players and clubs sharing messages of support after the heartbreaking discovery. Trejo's club mourned the deaths publicly ... telling the defender he isn't facing the unimaginable loss alone.

The earthquakes have left more than 1,400 people dead, thousands injured and thousands more displaced -- with rescue crews still searching collapsed buildings as the country reels from the disaster.