He Former Chilean president Sebastián Piñera, 74, died on the afternoon of Tuesday, February 6 because of a helicopter accident in which he was traveling. The vehicle It fell a few minutes after taking off into the waters of Lake Ranco with four people on board, who survived. Piñera was the only person who died.

The authorities still They have not determined the causes of that accident and are awaiting the progress of the investigation. The former Chilean president was traveling in his helicopter, which he piloted himself, to attend a meal at the home of businessman José Cox, which took off around 3:30 p.m. (local Chilean time). In addition, three other people were traveling with him: his sister Magdalena, his friend and former partner Ignacio Guerrero and the latter’s son.

According to the General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics (DGAC) of Chile, after just “a few minutes of flight”, the helicopter, piloted by the former president, registration CC-PHP, collapsed. The three passengers managed to get out of the aircraft, reaching the shore on their own without significant damage and were later evacuated to a medical center.

However, Piñera did not manage to survive and his body, as reported by the authorities, sank next to the helicopter. The Firefighters’ divers managed to recover the body at a depth of about 40 meters and it has already been transferred to the Valdivia Legal Medical Service to perform the autopsy.

The Navy has recognized that the weather conditions were not particularly good, given that there were showers in the area, but it has not been concluded that the incident could be due to bad weather. Thus, the Los Ríos Regional Prosecutor’s Office has opened an investigation, within which the autopsy is part. In fact, until these forensic works on the body have been completed, Piñera’s family will not receive the body. The Government of Chile will organize a state funeral in memory of the former president of Chile for two terms.

“He was a great man, a very generous and brave man,” declared his sister Magdalena, survivor of the accident, upon leaving the medical center where he underwent a first examination, reports the Chilean newspaper ‘El Mercurio’. Another of his brothers, José Miguel, has also remembered him on social networks as “an exemplary man”, lamenting the “great void” left by his death.

Piñera, politician, engineer and businessman, was born in Santiago de Chile in 1949 and In 2010 he became president of Chile until 2014. Four years later, he was again elected to preside over the country, for another four years: 2018-2022. Later, he was succeeded by Gabriel Boric, current president of the country. Throughout his life, he achieved a great fortune thanks to his investments as a businessman and was part, according to the Forbes list, of the richest people in Chile.