Former president of Chile Sebastián Piñera died this Tuesday afternoon (6) after the helicopter he was in crashed in the Los Ríos region, in the south of the country. In addition to Piñera, his sister, Magdalena Piñera, and a businessman identified as Ignacio Guerrero and his son were on board the aircraft, but managed to save themselves.
Piñera's death, confirmed by his advisor, generated commotion and grief among politicians, heads of state and international organizations, who highlighted his legacy and his contribution to democracy and development in Chile and Latin America.
One of the first international leaders to speak out was the current president of Uruguay, Luis Lacalle Pou, who recalled the support given by Piñera to his country during the pandemic.
“I met President Piñera several years ago. He always had a positive attitude towards Uruguay and personally. As an example, just mention your support with the logistics offered for the arrival of vaccines during the pandemic. To the Chileans and their families, my condolences”, wrote the Uruguayan president on his account on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
Luis Almagro, secretary general of the Organization of American States (OAS), also expressed his deep regret at the death of the former Chilean president.
“Our condolences go out to his family and friends, and we accompany all the Chilean people in these moments of sadness,” he said.
Former Argentine president Mauricio Macri (2015-2019), who had a close bond with the former Chilean president, called him a “dear friend” and “remarkable leader”. “Immense sadness at the death of my dear friend Sebastián Piñera. Good person, committed like no one else to Chile and to the values of freedom and democracy in Latin America. It really is a total, irreparable loss. Today I say goodbye to a friend and a remarkable leader. All my affection for your family”, he wrote on his social networks.
Other former presidents who also mourned Piñera's death were Juan Manuel Santos, from Colombia, who highlighted his support and his role as “guarantor of the peace process” in his country, and Evo Morales, who stated that, despite not coinciding ideologically, he worked “side by side” with Piñera on “several issues”.
The Presidency of Argentina, currently led by the libertarian Javier Milei, sent its condolences to “family, friends and the entire Chilean people in the name of the Argentine State”. Argentina's Security Minister, Patricia Bullrich, also spoke, saying that Piñera was “a democrat, with deep convictions” and that his legacy of commitment to his country and Latin America “will endure in our collective consciousness”.
The president of the Spanish government, Pedro Sánchez, said he was “appalled” by Piñera's “tragic” death and conveyed his condolences to family and friends, as well as the government and the entire Chilean people.
“During his tenure, we strengthened ties between our two countries and together we made COP 25 possible at a crucial moment in the fight against the climate emergency. Rest in peace,” Sánchez wrote on his X account.
In Chile, the Minister of the Interior, Carolina Tohá, announced that Gabriel Boric's government had declared official mourning in the country and anticipated that there would be a state funeral for the former president.
“Piñera was a democratically elected president on two occasions and will receive the honors he deserves,” he stated. “We want to send a solidarity hug to the former president’s family, to all those close to him, but also to all Chilean women and men. Sebastián Piñera governed us and we will remember him as such,” he declared.
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