Sebastián Piñera, 74, held the presidential position from 2010 to 2014 and again from 2018 to 2022.
Chilean authorities confirmed this Tuesday the death of former President Sebastián Piñera in a helicopter accident in Los Ríos, while authorities are still in the process of determining the cause of the incident.
Interior Minister Carolina Tohá said in a statement that four people were on board, including the billionaire, but the other three survived the accident and are in stable condition.
The Navy recovered the body of Sebastián Piñera.
The 74-year-old held the presidential position from 2010 to 2014 and again from 2018 to 2022.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric announced three days of national mourning over his death and a state funeral will be organized for the late leader.
Chile was already experiencing days of national mourning when the forest fire in the coastal state killed more than 120 people.
Tohá's said in a statement: “The government of Chile “expresses its shock at this tragedy, extends its embrace of solidarity to the family of the former president, to his relatives, but also to all Chileans.”
Piñera acquired his education in Chile and at Harvard University in the United States.
According to Forbes, his net worth was estimated at $2.7 billion. He was the founder of a credit card company, Banco, which he founded in the 1970s. During his presidency, he divested of its assets according to a campaign promise.
“He really went after what he thought was best for the country,” Boric said Tuesday. “For example, when he took on the reconstruction of the country after the earthquake of February 27, 2010, or when he took risks… to rescue the 33 miners from the San José mine, and more recently, in the management of the pandemic in times of crisis. global uncertainty.
Regional leaders mourned the death of Piñera. “I met President Piñera several years ago. He always had a positive attitude towards Uruguay and towards me personally. As an example… I support him with the logistics offered for the arrival of vaccines during the pandemic,” the president of Uruguay, Luis Lacalle Pou, wrote in X.
The Argentine president, Javier Milei, also sent his condolences in a post on X.
“On behalf of the Argentine State we send our condolences to family, friends and the people of Chile,” he wrote.
