The coffin of former Chilean president Sebastián Piñera arrived in Santiago this February 7 from the southern city of Valdivia. Hundreds of citizens accompanied the procession of the former president, at the beginning of three days of state funerals after his death in a plane crash. An autopsy revealed that the cause of death was “asphyxia due to submersion.”
“With a lot of love and a lot of pain, that's why I traveled to Valdivia yesterday immediately when I heard the news.” Angélica Castro is a follower of former Chilean president Sebastián Piñera. The woman traveled to Valdivia, 850 kilometers south of Santiago, to pay tribute to him and to thank, with the lighting of a candle, the management of the former president in the ninth region of Chile (La Araucanía), where she is from.
On the afternoon of Tuesday, February 6, Piñera, 74, had lunch with his sister, Magdalena Piñera and two other companions (his friend Ignacio Guerrero and one of his sons, Bautista Guerrero). Then, as on other occasions, he decided to put into practice one of his greatest passions: aviation.
With 20 years of experience as a pilot, with his license up to date and with all the rigorous controls approved, he decided to undertake what would be his last trip. The aircraft (a Robinson R44 helicopter, registration CC-PHP) fell into the water a few minutes after taking off. Magdalena, her sister, and the other two companions emerged unharmed. Piñera was the only one who lost his life.
“He was president for two terms, wherever you are from, we have to respect him because he was an authority that governed us for two terms,” said Genaro Alvial, a citizen of Valdivia, who came to say goodbye to the remains of the former president, who was in the Legal Medical Services building.
From that point, the funeral procession began for the remains of Sebastián Piñera, who governed Chile in two periods: 2010-2014 and 2018-2022. The body of the former president arrived at noon (local time) to the Chilean capital on an Air Force plane, accompanied by his widow, Cecilia Morel, children, grandchildren and Magdalena, his sister.
State Funerals
There will be three days of state funerals before the former right-wing president is buried in the Park of Memory Cemetery in Huechuraba.
The honors in memory of the former head of state were held on the airport tarmac. The coffin was received by his family. President Gabriel Boric, the Ministers of the Interior and Government, Carolina Tohá and Camila Vallejo, respectively, and Chancellor Alberto Van Klaveren were present.
Piñera's widow, Cecilia Morel, shared an emotional hug with Gabriel Boric upon her arrival. The Chilean president expressed his condolences to his family.
Covered with a Chilean flag, the remains of the former president were carried to the hearse, and then taken to the headquarters of the former National Congress, where they will be laid to rest.
“Probably this afternoon, at a time that will be informed in due course, the doors of Congress will open so that those who wish to pay tribute to the president can do so,” explained the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alberto Van Klaveren.
Before the public can enter to say goodbye to Piñera, the family asked for time only for family and closest friends. In Congress there will be a vigil until Friday, when the remains will be transferred to the Metropolitan Cathedral for a mass.
Van Klaveren reported that leaders or presidents of other nations may also attend, although a list with the names of those who will attend the ceremony has not yet been confirmed.
The autopsy on the body of pineapple
After the accident, as soon as the helicopter piloted by Piñera took off, the three companions were able to get out of the water and reach the shore under their own power. However, the body of the former president sank along with the aircraft.
The General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics of Chile (DGAC) reported that, after just “a few minutes of flight,” the helicopter collapsed. Magdalena, his sister; Ignacio and Bautista, her friends, were taken to a medical center in stable conditions.
After several minutes, rescue personnel recovered Piñera's body, more than 20 meters deep. The autopsy revealed the cause of death. “As the Prosecutor's Office we are now in a position to be able to inform the community that the medico-legal cause of the death of former President Sebastián Piñera is asphyxiation due to submersion,” reported Tatiana Esquivel, Valdivia prosecutor.
Authorities are still investigating the causes of the plane crash. The DGAC explained that, for now, they are carrying out various tests on the accident in the town of Ranco.
For now, two theories are being put forward according to local and international media and agencies. The first, according to AFP, “the story of a close friend at the scene” indicates that “Piñera felt ill health shortly before crashing and was the only crew member who could not release his seat belt.”
While local media cite a statement from Piñera's former minister, Karla Rubilar, who commented in an interview with the media 'CHV Noticias', a version of what happened. Although she acknowledges that she has not been able to contact the family, she Rubilar says: “We all know her sister's version, which says that the president, in her last words, said: 'Get off the helicopter, let them jump. That he couldn't jump because the helicopter was falling on top of them all,'” she commented. At the moment, the investigations continue and there are still no statements from the family or the Prosecutor's Office about what happened before the accident.
'I owe him my life'
The reactions to the death of the former president continue, after the tragic accident in his helicopter. The United States ambassador to Chile, Bernadette Meehan, published a statement from President Joe Biden and his wife.
“Jill and I join the people of Chile in mourning the tragic loss of former president Sebastián Piñera,” begins the letter, in which he remembers the management of the former pilot president. “He worked tirelessly to grow the country's economy and support his nation on the world stage. During the Covid-19 pandemic she prioritized the safety of her fellow citizens, helping Chile achieve one of the fastest vaccination rates in the world.” In the end, she points out that she greatly valued the time she worked with Piñera over the last decade.
At the national level, other voices have also joined in firing the former president. Until Piñera's residence, in the San Damián neighborhood, in the commune of Las Condes, a large number of people gathered to express their condolences to the family.
They have been joined by several of the 33 miners who were rescued in 2010, when a mine collapsed in Atacama. “I owe him my life,” said Mario Sepúlveda, in several interviews, after expressing his sadness at the sudden departure of the former president, who led an unprecedented day of successful rescue, after 69 days of the collapse of the mine, when he had barely begun his journey. first period as president.
“What one does (accompanying the remains of the former president) is nothing compared to what he did for us,” said another of the miners rescued in 2010.
The signs of love and affection have been present after his death. While other voices have also recalled, above all, the repression that Chileans experienced in the social outbreak of 2019, under the command of Piñera, which left around thirty dead and 460 people with eye injuries, as well as thousands of injured.
With Reuters, AFP, AP and local media.
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