Sebastián Piñera, who served as Chile’s president twice, has died in a helicopter crash in the south of the country, his office confirmed on Tuesday.
The former Chilean president was 74 years old.
Piñera was traveling with three other passengers in a helicopter that crashed near the town of Lago Ranco, about 900 kilometers from the capital Santiago. The interior minister, Carolina Tohá, said Piñera’s body had been recovered from the scene of the crash. The cause of the accident is still under investigation.
Piñera, a billionaire businessman, was president from 2010 to 2014 and from 2018 to 2022. He led the country during several natural disasters, such as the 2010 earthquake and tsunami that killed hundreds of people and displaced millions. He also oversaw the dramatic rescue of 33 miners trapped underground for 69 days in the same year.
His second term was marked by social unrest and protests against inequality and corruption, which erupted in October 2019 and resulted in more than 30 deaths and thousands of injuries. Piñera faced criticism for his handling of the crisis and accusations of human rights violations by the security forces. He eventually agreed to hold a referendum on a new constitution, which was approved by a landslide in October 2020.
Piñera also managed the country’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, which has claimed more than 40,000 lives in Chile. He implemented one of the fastest vaccination campaigns in the world, reaching more than 80% of the population with at least one dose.
Piñera is survived by his wife, Cecilia Morel, and four children.
