Santiago (AFP) – The former president of Chile Sebastián Piñera died on Tuesday in a helicopter accident in the Lago Ranco sector, 920 km south of Santiago, where he was spending his summer vacations with some of his children and grandchildren.
First modification: 02/06/2024 – 22:13 Last modification: 02/07/2024 – 00:46
3 min
“With deep regret we announce the death of the former president of the Republic of Chile, Sebastián Piñera Echeñique” at the age of 74, after his helicopter crashed around 3:00 p.m. (6:00 p.m. GMT) in Lake Ranco, Los Ríos region, while He was traveling with three other people who survived, his office said.
Officials from the Legal Medical Service (SML) entered a Carabineros office in Lago Ranco, where the body of the former president was located, in the midst of some people who came to express messages of condolence to the family, an AFP team observed.
In Santiago, outside the headquarters of his National Renovation (RN) party and his house in the commune of Las Condes, dozens of admirers came to leave flowers, messages and light candles in his memory.
“The great legacy that he will leave is to demonstrate that the right also has a very great respect for democracy,” Orlando Toledo, a resident of the exclusive residential area where he lived, highlighted to the media.
The former minister of his government and resident of Lago Ranco, Gerardo Varela, said about the accident: “It is not known whether he had a heart attack or not, but he would not have been able to remove his belt and, consequently, he would have sunk with the helicopter”, in a lake with deep, turbulent waters.
Piñera, twice president (2010-2014 and 2018-2022), was the first right-wing president to come to power by popular election after the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990) and broke two decades of hegemony of left-wing governments. post dictatorship.
Leftist President Gabriel Boric, who succeeded Piñera in power since March 2022, deeply mourned his death.
“President Piñera contributed from his vision to building great agreements for the good of the country. He was a democrat from the first hour, and genuinely sought what he believed was best for the country,” said Boric, who decreed three days mourning and a state funeral on Thursday or Friday.
According to friends who were in Lago Ranco, Piñera was at the family vacation home, along with his wife Cecilia Morel, some of his four children and nine grandchildren.
Regional leaders in mourning
The governments of Latin America and Spain expressed their regret for the death of former President Piñera, surprised by the accident that ended the life of a jovial, hyperactive person who always sought dialogue, they highlighted.
The Brazilian Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva wrote in X: “We live together, we work to strengthen the relationship between our countries and we always had a good dialogue.”
Former president of Chile Sebastián Piñera dies in helicopter accident © Gabriela VAZ, Gustavo IZUS / AFP
The head of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, joined the messages of mourning from the leaders of Peru, Uruguay, Colombia and Argentina.
He highlighted that during his mandate, ties between Spain and Chile were strengthened: “Together we made COP 25 possible at a crucial moment for the fight against the climate emergency. Rest in peace.”
Piñera, who had a doctorate in economics from the American University of Harvard, was an astute businessman who amassed a fortune in banking and companies in various sectors.
He had turned 74 on December 1 and was known for piloting his own helicopter.
Respected by rivals
In his last government (2018-2022), Piñera faced the social outbreak of October 2019, when massive protests demanded a shift against a free market model with the absence of the State in education, health, and pensions.
The covid pandemic was added to the social upheaval, political polarization grew due to the debate over changing the Constitution and an economic crisis that Chile had not experienced in 30 years was felt.
When the signs of recovery gave him a break, the publication of the Pandora Papers on the sale of Minera Dominga in 2010 by a company owned by his children once again tarnished his image.
Piñera ended his last term with great popular disapproval.
Only in recent months has he reappeared at key moments to give his conservative position regarding the main problems of Chileans.
The news of his death triggered messages of respect from political leaders of all tendencies, including the Communist Party, the extreme right and the Christian Democrats.
© 2024 AFP