Sebastian Pinera, a Chilean politician who served as president of the South American nation twice, died on Tuesday after a helicopter he was reportedly flying crashed into a lake in southern Chile.
Piñera’s helicopter crashed near the town of Lago Ranco on the shores of the lake of the same name, Chile’s Interior Minister Carolina Toha confirmed to Reuters.
The helicopter, which Sebastian Pinera was reportedly piloting himself, plunged about 40 meters deep into the lake, Chilean newspaper La Tercera reported, and the former president’s body was recovered from the lake by the Chilean Navy.
Three other people traveling in the former president’s helicopter were rescued by first responders and are alive, Toha said.
Who was Sebastian Pinera married to?
Sebastian Pinera was married to Maria Cecilia Morel Montes.
At the age of 18 in 1972, she began dating Sebastián Piñera, who was her neighbor in the Avenida Américo Vespucio, in the eastern sector of Santiago. They married in 1973.
Who is Sebastian Pinera’s wife Cecilia Morel?
Cecilia Morel is the former First Lady of Chile and the widow of Sebastian Pinera, who died in a helicopter crash on February 6, 2024.
She was also the Director of the Presidency’s Sociocultural Area during both her husband’s terms as president.
María Cecilia Morel Montes was born 14 January 1954 and the fourth of seven children born to Eduardo Morel Chaigneau and Paulina Montes Brunet, the sister of Hugo Montes Brunet.
She attended grade school at the College Jeanne d’Arc de Santiago de Chile, the same school where her mother and grandmother (Consuelo Brunet Bunster) studied.
In 1972, she began to study nursing at the Catholic University of Chile, but put her studies on hold when she moved abroad with her husband.
She resumed her studies when they returned to Chile, which she continued until the birth of her second daughter, Cecilia. She was one semester short of graduating.
She then entered the Instituto Profesional Carlos Casanueva, from which she graduated as family and youth counselor. She also holds a degree in family and human relations from Universidad Mayor.
In 1989, together with professionals from Instituto Carlos Casanueva (Enrique Cueto), founded what later became “La Casa de la Juventud”, with the task of educating young people from Conchalí with growth and personal development workshops. Later, the Women Embark Foundation was derived from this project.
About Cecilia Morel and Sebastian Pinera Children
Sebastian Pinera had four children with his wife Cecilia Morel. They are:
Magdalena Piñera Morel, born in 1975. She is a psychologist and a social entrepreneur who founded the NGO Desafío Levantemos Chile.
Cecilia Piñera Morel, born in 1978. She is an engineer and a businesswoman who works as the CEO of Bancard, a financial company owned by her father.
Sebastián Piñera Morel, born in 1982. He is a lawyer and a politician who serves as a deputy in the Chamber of Deputies of Chile for the District 11 of Santiago.
Cristóbal Piñera Morel, born in 1984. He is a computer engineer and a software developer who co-founded the company Hopin, a platform for online events.
Who was Sebastian Pinera ?
Miguel Juan Sebastián Piñera Echenique is the son of a Christian Democratic politician and ambassador who attended the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and Harvard University to study business administration and economics.
Piñera, 74, was a wealthy businessman and investor before becoming involved in Chilean politics in the 1990s. Courting votes as a center-right moderate, he became the first right-leaning candidate in 2010 to win the presidency in Chile since the overthrow of far-right dictator Augusto Pinochet in 1990.
But his second term, starting in 2018, was marred by mass protests against inequity and riots against the government, which eventually led to Chileans voting in a national referendum for a new constitution, though they have yet to agree on what that constitution should say.
According to Forbes, his net worth was projected to be US$2.7 billion as of January 2023, making him one of Chile’s wealthiest persons.
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