Former Chilean President Killed in Helicopter Crash

Sebastián Piñera, the former president of Chile, died in a helicopter crash. Three other passengers survived the incident and managed to swim to shore. The helicopter carrying Piñera and the three other passengers crashed on Tuesday, February 6, in Lake Ranco in southern Chile. It is unclear who the pilot of the helicopter was, but Piñera often piloted his own private helicopter. Piñera, who was 74 years old at the time of his death, introduced credit cards into the Chilean banking system during General Pinochet's dictatorship in the 1970s and 1980s and entered politics in the 1990s with the wealth he accumulated from it. His election in 2010 marked the return of the conservative wing of Chile to political power after Pinochet's dictatorship. Piñera's first presidential term ended with efforts to rebuild the country after a powerful earthquake and tsunami that resulted in 525 deaths, as well as the successful rescue of 33 miners who were trapped underground for over three months following a mine collapse in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile. However, his second term from 2018 to 2022 was largely consumed by his government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and social unrest stemming from a slight increase in metro fares, which escalated into widespread protests over inequality. Piñera deployed the military to suppress the protests, leading to violent clashes between demonstrators and security forces. The protests prompted Parliament to agree to hold a referendum to change the constitution from the Pinochet era, but so far, two proposed laws have failed. Gabriel Boric, Piñera's successor, declared three days of national mourning. In a televised speech announcing the former president's death, he stated that Piñera 'truly sought what he believed was best for the country.'