Former Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, 74, died this afternoon in a helicopter crash in the municipality of Lago Ranco, according to the Chilean daily La Tercera.
The Public Prosecutor's Office has opened an investigation into the conditions in which the accident took place.
Sebastian Pinera came to power in 2010, after 20 years of center-left government since the end of the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990).
In 2005, he was beaten by Michelle Bachelet.
When his death was announced, Chilean MPs observed a minute of silence.
🚨 MINUTE OF SILENCE IN THE CONGRESS
The exact moment in which the votes were heard was the death of Sebastian Piñera, the former President of Chile.
pic.twitter.com/v37FZKh1cn
— GRANPA (@Jubasado) February 6, 2024
The change to the right, more than a profound change of direction in governance, had marked a symbolic shift in Chile, led by the Concertation, a coalition of four center-left parties, since the return of democracy in 1990.
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