Allende killed in presidential palace as bombings bring chaos to London
This week in 1973, President Salvador Allende of Chile died in a revolt led by army leaders. At the time, it was reported that the world’s first democratically-elected Marxist head of state had committed suicide rather than surrender to the commanders of the armed forces and the paramilitary police.
Air Force planes attacked the presidential palace with rockets and bombs, and tanks opened fire after 64-year-old Allende turned down an initial demand for him to resign.
According to military sources, Allende asked for a five-minute ceasefire in order to resign. But the armed forces said that was impossible because snipers loyal to the president were operating from buildings near the presidential palace.
Opposition to President Allende – who was elected to power in 1970 with only 36 per cent of the vote – had been growing for months.
Following Allende’s death, General Augusto Pinochet – the Chilean Commander-inChief and a member of the military junta – appointed himself Chile’s new President.
Allende’s widow, Hortensia, and a number of his supporters were granted political asylum in the Mexican Embassy and left for Mexico five days later.
Meanwhile, in the UK, Scotland Yard was hunting a teenage suspect after two bombs at mainline stations injured 13 people and brought chaos to London.
The first explosion at King’s Cross – which injured five people – occurred seconds after a witness saw a youth throw a bag into a booking hall.
Fifty minutes later, another blast occurred at a snack bar at Euston station, injuring eight more people.
The IRA later said they were behind the explosions, which occurred during one of their sustained periods of activity in England.
Just two days earlier, there had been bombs in Manchester city centre and at London’s Victoria station.
And 48 hours later, further explosions in London rocked Sloane Square and Oxford Street.