Former Chilean President Pinera dies in a plane crash: crashed in a helicopter

Former Chilean President Sebastian Pinera died as a result of a helicopter crash in the south of the country in the city of Lago Ranco. This was reported by local media, UNN reports.

Details

Chilean journalists report on the death of Sebastian Pinera, citing statements from the government and the office of the former president.

Pina's death was confirmed by the Minister of the Interior, Carolina Tocha. She also added that only the 74-year-old ex-president died in the accident, while the other three passengers survived. Pinera's body has already been found and identified.

Friends of the former President of Chile note that he was a risk-taker throughout his life, flying his own helicopter and loving deep-sea diving.

For reference

Piñera led Chile from 2010 to 2014 and from 2018 to 2022.

As of 2024, he was ranked 1176th on the Forbes World's Richest List with a net worth of $2.7 billion.

Pinera is remembered as a successful businessman who led rapid economic growth and a sharp drop in unemployment during his first presidency from 2010 to 2014, at a time when many of Chile's trading partners and neighbors were facing a sharp slowdown.

His second presidency, from 2018 to 2022, was marked by violent protests against inequality that led to accusations of human rights violations and ended with the government promising to draft a new constitution.

Pinera also monitored the situation in the country during the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time, Chile became one of the countries with the fastest vaccination rate in the world.

One of the memorable events during his term was the rescue of miners in 2010. Pinera himself has repeatedly mentioned this story. The miners were trapped in the Atacama Desert. The whole world was watching their rescue. And in 2014, the rescue operation was filmed in the movie 33.