Sebastián Piñera would have died by drowning and everything indicates that it was when caught by the seat belt when his helicopter fell over the lake. The former Chilean president was the one who piloted the device that It was precipitated for unknown reasons and is being investigated. Meanwhile, this Thursday the events for his state funeral begin.

The Chilean Navy has returned its former president to land amidst applause and the playing of the national anthem, after an arduous rescue in the depths of the iconic Lago Ranco, in the south-central part of the country. “At a depth of 28 meters the body was rescued,” Ricardo González, the captain of the firefighters, explained to the media.

It cost them, they count, because Piñera was trapped by the seat belt of the helicopter he was piloting. The former president had gone to eat with a businessman friend in Ilihue, at one end of the lake. His sister and two other people accompanied him. Afterwards, and despite the intense rain, he wanted to fly back to his residence, which was barely 22 kilometers away in a straight line. Shortly, the device collapses, but the cause is still a unknown.

Witnesses stated that they heard “a very loud noise, as well as thunder” and ran away. “It was not known if it was José Cox’s helicopter or Sebastián Piñera’s. Then we saw the tip of the propeller sinking and three survivors afloat“said Samuel Green, a witness to the accident.

His sister and others who accompanied him survived because they managed to get rid the belt and swim to the shore. However, Piñera died trapped and drowned in this disconcerting sinister that plunges Chile into a great state mourning.