Sebastián Piñera, former President of Chile, died on 6 February 2024 in a helicopter accident while on vacation in the commune of Lago Ranco, located in the southern Chilean region of Los Ríos.

[1] Later that evening, President Gabriel Boric, in an address from La Moneda, announced three days of national mourning and declared that Piñera would receive a state funeral.

[8] After lunch, as the return flight began, the helicopter lost control just a few meters from the shore, making contact with the surface of the water and capsizing into Lake Ranco in the Ilihue sector near the take-off site.

[22] The funeral proceedings began when a Chilean Air Force (FACh) plane carrying Piñera's remains, following an autopsy in Valdivia, landed at Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport in Santiago.

Subsequently, the Air Force rendered honors, and the procession proceeded to the former National Congress building, where Piñera's remains lay in state until the morning of 9 February.

Former president Michelle Bachelet expressed deep regret over Piñera's death and said she valued his "commitment to our country and democracy, as well as his tireless work and service to the nation".

[citation needed] Former conservative presidential candidate José Antonio Kast declared that Piñera "was a great public servant and gave the best years of his life to serving Chile".

[citation needed] Following news of Piñera's death, Televisión Nacional de Chile modified its logo by adding the color black as an expression of mourning.

[citation needed] Jimmy Sánchez, one of the 33 miners rescued during the 2010 Copiapó mining accident, said that it was a pleasure to meet Piñera, and said that he was grateful that "he gave us our lives back.