Chile ex-president Sebastian Pinera dies in helicopter crash
Al Jazeera
The 74-year-old billionaire tycoon has died in a crash in the popular vacation spot Lago Ranco in southern Chile.
Chile’s former President Sebastian Pinera, a billionaire tycoon who twice held the South American nation’s top job, has died in a helicopter crash, his office said in a statement.
“It is with deep regret that we announce the death of the former president of the Republic of Chile,” said the statement on Tuesday, adding that 74-year-old Pinera had died in the popular vacation spot Lago Ranco, some 920km (570 miles) south of Santiago.
Chile Interior Minister Carolina Toha confirmed the death of the former president. No further details were immediately released about the cause of the accident.
Chile’s national disaster agency SENAPRAD confirmed that one person had been killed and three people injured. The government did not immediately name who was aboard.
Pinera, also a successful businessman, oversaw quick economic growth and a steep fall in unemployment during his first 2010 to 2014 presidency, at a time when many of Chile’s trade partners and neighbours were facing sharply slower growth.
