Former Chilean President Sebastian Pinera passed away in a helicopter accident in the southern region on Tuesday.
The government and office of the former president jointly announced the tragic incident, thrusting the nation, under his leadership for two terms, into a state of mourning.
Condolences from leaders across Latin America are flooding in. Interior Minister Carolina Toha officially declared the passing of the 74-year-old statesman, who served as president from 2010 to 2014 and 2018 to 2022.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, he oversaw the governance that elevated Chile to one of the top five countries in vaccination rates against the illness.
However, his tenure is overshadowed by the use of force by the police in October 2019 against protesters advocating for changes in the country's education, health, and pension systems, which have historical ties to the military dictatorship from 1973 to 1990. International entities have recorded widespread human rights abuses during the crackdown.
The civil unrest ultimately resulted in two unsuccessful attempts to reform the constitution passed down from the military regime.
Chile was already grappling with the devastating wildfires in its central region when news broke of Piñera's death, sparking condolences from leaders and former leaders across the political spectrum in Latin America.
The Associated Press noted Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's words on X, formerly Twitter, declaring it was sad that Pinera had died so "abruptly."
"We worked to strengthen the relationship between our countries, and we always had a good dialogue when we were both presidents and also when we weren't," he continued.
According to Reuters, one of Pinera's first administration's high points was the spectacular rescue in 2010 of 33 miners who were trapped underneath the Atacama desert. The event became a global media sensation and was the subject of a 2014 movie, "The 33."
Who Was Sebastian Pinera?
The son of a prominent centrist politician, Sebastian Pinera was a Harvard-trained economist who made his fortune introducing credit cards to Chile in the 1980s, published Reuters.
He was also a major shareholder in the flagship airline formerly known as LAN, the local soccer team Colo-Colo, and a television station. He sold most of those holdings when he took over the presidency in March 2010.
As of 2024, he was ranked 1,176 on Forbes' global rich list, with a net worth of $2.7 billion.
He was known as a risk-taker who flew his own helicopter and enjoyed deep-sea diving.
Sebastian Pinera is survived by his wife, Cecilia Morel, and their four children.
