The former president of Chile, Sebastian Pinera, who faced social upheaval followed by a pandemic in his second term, died on Tuesday in a helicopter crash at the age of 74.
His death was confirmed by Chile Interior Minister, Carolina Tohá, who disclosed in a statement that the helicopter was carrying four people in the Los Ríos region of southern Chile when it crashed, adding that the three others survived.
Details on what caused the accident have not yet been made available.
Pinera served two terms as a conservative president, first from 2010 to 2014 and again from 2018 to 2022.
During a 2013 meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama, Pinera raised eyebrows by sitting at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, breaking White House protocol.
“I’m going to sit at the president of the United States’ desk”, Pinera said before doing just that.
The former billionaire president oversaw his nation’s COVID-19 response. Chile’s vaccination rate in 2021 was among the top five countries in the world.
In 2021, he signed a historic bill into law allowing same-sex couples to marry and adopt. During the signing, Pinera said the new law would “allow all children with a papa and mama, with two papas or with two mamas, to have the same rights and the same protection”.
In 2019, he faced criticism for violent police responses to October demonstrations against the country’s education, health and pension systems, according to The Associated Press.
Chilean President, Gabriel Boric, who succeeded Pinera in 2022, has declared a period of national mourning to mark Pinera’s death. A state funeral is expected to be scheduled.
