Sebastian Piñera, the ex-president of Chile, tragically passed away on Tuesday afternoon in a plane crash at the age of 74. The incident happened in the rural area of Ilihue, near the town of Lake Ranco in the Los Ríos region, verified by official sources from Clarion. Piñera was aboard a private helicopter that met with an accident and plunged into the lake, carrying a total of four passengers.
Initial reports suggest that the helicopter, piloted by the former president himself along with three other passengers, took off amidst a rainy day. Shortly into the flight, the helicopter lost altitude and crashed for reasons that are still under investigation.
The three other passengers are believed to be relatives of Piñera: his sister, his brother-in-law, and a grandson. Two of them managed to swim to the shore while a third was rescued by a boat in the lake. However, the former president could not unlatch his seat belt to escape the helicopter, according to sources from Clarion in Santiago de Chile.
The aircraft submerged approximately 40 meters deep into the lake.
After a diligent operation by a team of divers, the body of Piñera was retrieved from the bottom of the lake.
Preliminary data from the police reveals that on Tuesday at 2:57 PM, a call was made to the guard at the Lago Ranco Tenancy. The caller reported that “an aircraft, presumably a helicopter, had crashed in the area.” Personnel from the Carabineros and Navy were dispatched to the scene to authenticate the report.
