Former President of Chile Sebastian Pinera Dies in Helicopter Crash
- Chilean ex-president Sebastián Piñera, who served two terms and was also a billionaire businessman, has died in a helicopter crash at the age of 74
- Three other people aboard the aircraft survived after it went down in a lake near the southern town of Lago Ranco
- Piñera’s body was recovered from the scene of the crash in a lake near the southern town of Lago Ranco
Source: Getty Images
The helicopter conveying the former world leader crashed in the Los Ríos region of southern Chile, his office said in a statement on Tuesday, 6 February.
According to Reuters, Interior Minister Carolina Toha confirmed the death of the 74-year-old former president, who held office twice from 2010 to 2014 and from 2018 to 2022.
Mourning the deceased leader, Paula Daza, the former undersecretary of public health of Chile wrote on her X handle, @pdazan:
"Today, we lost a great President of Chile, leader and strategist. Personally, the president Sebastian Pinera was a reference, guide and advisor. Today, I pay my most sincere tribute and condolences to his family, whom I so respect."
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The late Pinera was Chile’s president from 2010 to 2014 and 2018 to 2022.
At the time of the crash, there was widespread rainfall in the area, but it is unclear if the weather caused the crash, CNN noted.
Chileans pay their respects
Netizens paid their respect to the former president:
Dennise R:
"Thank you for everything you did for our country. Chile is undoubtedly indebted to him. We were unfair to him."
Carito:
"A great sorrow, a great loss, a very terrible situation... My most sincere condolences to Mrs Cecilia Morel and her family."
tHe Queen:
"It is very unfortunate. Although it was not his best year, Piñera was a great President."
Cristian Medina:
"A great man, he did so much for Chile. Thank you for his legacy, with a broken heart."
Namibian president Hage Geingob passes away
In a similar article, Briefly News reported that Namibian President Hage Geingob passed away after being diagnosed with cancer.
The head of state had been suffering from health issues for quite some time and had bouts of illnesses and treatment overseas. South Africans passed on their condolences and mourned the former president with the rest of Namibia.
Source: Legit.ng
Rianette Cluley (Director and Editor-in-Chief) Rianette Cluley is the managing editor of Briefly News (joined in 2016). Previously, she worked as a journalist and photographer for award-winning publications within the Caxton group (joined in 2008). She also attended the Journalism AI Academy powered by the Google News Initiative and passed a set of trainings for journalists from Google News initiative. In February 2024, she hosted a workshop titled AI for Journalists: Power Up Your Reporting Ethically and was a guest speaker at the Forum of Community Journalists No Guts, No Glory, No Story conference. E-mail: rianette.cluley@briefly.co.za
Tebogo Mokwena (Current Affairs editor) Tebogo Mokwena is a Current Affairs Editor at Briefly News. He has a Diploma in Journalism from ALISON. He joined Daily Sun, where he worked for 4 years covering politics, crime, entertainment, current affairs, policy, governance and art. He was also a sub-editor and journalist for Capricorn Post before joining Vutivi Business News in 2020, where he covered small business news policy and governance, analysis and profiles. He joined Briefly News in 2023. Tebogo passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative Email: tebogo.mokwena@briefly.co.za
