2024-02-06 19:34:24
The Minister of the Interior declares national mourning and confirms that the former president will receive a state funeral
MADRID, 6 (EUROPA PRESS)
The former president of Chile Sebastián Piñera died this Tuesday after the helicopter in which he was traveling with three other people crashed into Lake Ranco, in the Los Ríos region, in the center of the Andean country.
This was confirmed by the Chilean Minister of the Interior, Carolina Tohá, during a press conference, where she highlighted that the other three people on board “arrived to shore by their own means”, but “that was not the case” for Piñera.
“A few moments ago we had confirmation from the Carabineros, which tells us that the Navy was able to reach the place where the accident occurred, and recover the body of former President Piñera, who has died,” he said.
Thus, Tohá has reported that President Gabriel Boric has ordered that national mourning be declared and a state funeral be held for Piñera, “democratic president of Chile” and that he will receive “all the honors and recognitions he deserves.”
For her part, the Government spokesperson, Camila Vallejo, has conveyed the Executive’s condolences to Piñera’s family and loved ones in moments of “pain” for such a “sad and sudden accident.”
“Whoever was twice elected president of Chile will have the honors and recognitions he deserves,” the Government spokesperson stressed on her official profile on the social network X, formerly known as Twitter.
Before the Minister of the Interior confirmed what happened, sources close to the former president had conveyed the news to Agencia UNO. The Los Ríos Regional Prosecutor’s Office, for its part, has confirmed the launch of an investigation into the event.
The National Disaster Prevention and Response Service had also issued a brief statement confirming a helicopter accident on Lake Ranco with one person dead and three injured. Firefighters and police have traveled to the scene.
Piñera, 74, served as president of Chile for two terms, the first between 2010 and 2014; and years later between 2018 and 2022, being then succeeded by the current president of the country, Gabriel Boric.
REACTIONS FROM CHILE
The Chilean political scene has reacted quickly to the death of the former president. The president of the Senate, Juan Antonio Coloma, has confirmed that Piñera will be laid to rest at the headquarters of the National Congress in the capital, Santiago de Chile.
For her part, former president Michelle Bachelet, who alternated terms with Piñera, has issued a brief statement in which she emphasizes the former president’s “commitment” “to the country and to democracy, as well as his tireless work and service to the nation”.
The conservative National Renewal party, to which Piñera belonged for years until beginning his first term, has stressed that the late president leaves “an indelible mark on Chilean politics.”
“His life was dedicated to public service, demonstrating a commitment to the well-being of Chile and its people (…) He constantly sought to unite the country, transcending political differences to work for the common good,” they stressed.
SOUTH AMERICA REGRETS HIS DEATH
The Presidency of Argentina has been the first institution to officially convey, and on behalf of the Argentine State, its condolences “to his family, friends and all the Chilean people” for the death of the former president.
The secretary general of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, has sent his condolences to “family and friends” of Piñera, and has stated that the organization accompanies the Chilean people “in these moments of sadness.”
Along the same lines, the Uruguayan president, Luis Lacalle Pou, has praised Piñera’s “positive attitude” towards Uruguay, exemplified in his support for the shipment of coronavirus vaccines during the pandemic.
The Brazilian president, Luis Inácio Lula da Silva, has stressed that both leaders worked together to “strengthen the relationship” between Brasilia and Santiago de Chile through “good dialogue” even once Piñera left the Presidency.
From Peru, Dina Boluarte has remembered her former Chilean counterpart as an “important political leader in the region” and as a key figure who “strengthened the ties of friendship and cooperation” between both neighboring nations.
The Paraguayan president, Santiago Peña, has expressed his regret at the news and has sent his condolences to Piñera’s family and friends as they face “this moment of pain.”
FORMER PRESIDENTS OF THE REGION REMEMBER HIS FIGURE
For his part, former Colombian president Iván Duque has shared a publication on his social networks in which he remembers the figure of his “great friend and companion”, for whom he feels “the greatest pain.” “A unique leader, a complete human being”, he noted.
His predecessor, Juan Manuel Santos, has expressed his regret for the loss of “a great ally of Colombia”, who “supported and was a guarantor of the peace process” in the country and with whom the Pacific Alliance was promoted, also integrated through Peru and Mexico.
Former Colombian president Álvaro Uribe has expressed his pain at the death of Piñera, whom he considers “a great friend of Colombia” and with whom he had a “friendly” relationship for years.
Another former South American president, the Argentine Mauricio Macri, has acknowledged feeling “enormous sadness” over the death of his “dear friend.” “Good people, committed like no one else to Chile and to the values of freedom and democracy in Latin America,” he said.
Former Bolivian president Evo Morales has pointed out on his social networks that, despite the ideological differences that separated them, both worked “side by side on various issues.” “My condolences to his loved ones and to the Chilean people,” he concluded.
Along the same lines, former Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa has expressed himself in the same terms as Morales and has stressed that despite ideological differences, they always maintained a “very good relationship as presidents.”
Brazilian Jair Bolsonaro recalled that Piñera and he were “allies in the progress and well-being” of their respective countries. “An irreparable void for our Chilean brothers,” the former president lamented.
#Chilean #president #Sebastián #Piñera #dies #helicopter #accident