Highlights: Ex-president of Chile Sebastian Pinera dies in helicopter crash. He was 74 years old. The former head of state was at the controls of the machine and was going to his vacation home when the accident took place. Left-wing President Gabriel Boric declared three days of national mourning and ordered a state funeral for the man who was the first right-wing president to be elected after Chile's return to democracy. At 74, the former president had not given up on the idea of running in the next presidential election.

Former Chilean President Sebastian Pinera died Tuesday afternoon in a helicopter crash in southern Chile. He was 74 years old.

Ex-president of Chile Sebastian Pinera dies in helicopter crash

Former Chilean President Sebastian Pinera died Tuesday afternoon in a helicopter crash in southern Chile. He was 74 years old.

Chilean President Sebastian Piñera during a press conference on October 4, 2021. AFP - JAVIER TORRES

By: RFI Follow

The former head of state was at the controls of the machine and was going to his vacation home when the accident took place. Sebastian Pinera was an experienced pilot but the weather conditions were bad: rain and wind, reports

our correspondent in Santiago

Naila Derroisné.

The helicopter crashed into a lake. An investigation is underway to try to determine the circumstances of the accident which caused the death of the former president. The three other passengers in the helicopter survived.

Left-wing President Gabriel Boric declared three days of national mourning and ordered a state funeral for the man who was the first right-wing president to be elected after Chile's return to

democracy

. “

President Pinera contributed, through his vision, to the conclusion of major agreements for the good of the country. He was an early democrat and he truly sought what he thought was best for the country

,” he said in a televised address.

Statesman and businessman

The reconstruction after the 2010 earthquake, the impressive rescue of 33 miners trapped underground, the massive purchase of vaccines during the

Covid-19

pandemic ... He was recognized for his ability to manage all kinds of crises.

Sebastian Pinera

was therefore a statesman but also a businessman. With a doctorate in economics from Harvard, Mr. Pinera had amassed one of Chile's greatest fortunes in banking, airlines and several other industrial sectors. According to Forbes, his and his family's fortune is estimated at $2.7 billion.

But his career has also been harshly criticized for the human rights abuses that occurred during the social crisis of 2019 under his second term. The ex-president has also accumulated several political and legal scandals. In the 1980s in particular, he was in the sights of justice for bank fraud.

Read alsoChile: President Piñera in the Pandora Papers turmoil

The Chilean press speaks of him as someone tireless, impulsive, who had a taste for risk and who liked to bet, but above all to win. At 74, the former president had not given up on the idea of running in the next presidential election.

Ex-president of Chile Sebastian Pinera dies in helicopter crash

Ex-president of Chile Sebastian Pinera dies in helicopter crash

Statesman and businessman

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