Chile begins funeral services for former president Pinera
The remains of Chile’s former president Sebastian Pinera arrived at the former Congress building in Santiago on Wednesday for friends, family and the public to pay respects until he is laid to rest today.
Pinera died after the helicopter he was piloting crashed into a lake in Southern Chile on Tuesday.
His remains arrived in the capital on Wednesday and were received by family members, President Gabriel Boric and several ministers.
Mourners laid roses and candles at the former two-time president’s home in Las Condes in eastern Santiago, while thousands of people waved flags and pictures of Pinera as the motorcade passed through the city.
A divisive figure, the billionaire conservative was president from 2010 to 2014 and 2018 to 2022, during times of strong economic growth.
But both of his presidencies were marred by frequent protests, first by students demanding education reform, and by wider, often violent protests against inequality in his second term that ended with the government promising to draft a new constitution.
“I’m not part of the right, but I think he was one of the best presidents Chile had because it’s when Chile had the most economic stability; you noticed the money,” Alonso Reyes said in Vina del Mar.
Pinera also played a crucial role in drafting a public letter signed by all living presidents of Chile to mark the 50th anniversary of a deadly coup, expressing commitment to the protection of democracy.
Paz Zarate, senior researcher in foreign policy at Chilean think-tank Athena Lab, said: “For me that letter and the personal effort made is a great final legacy; it speaks volumes.”
The local prosecutor’s office revealed Pinera died from asphyxiation due to submersion after the crash.
Tatiana Esquivel, the local prosecutor where the accident happened, told reporters the cause of the crash was still being investigated.
A report from Chile’s DGAC aviation authority said the helicopter took off at about 3.30pm and crashed into a lake minutes later. —