Chile ex-president Sebastian Pinera dies in helicopter crash

Chilean former president Sebastian Pinera

Chile’s former president Sebastian Pinera, a billionaire tycoon who twice held the South American nation’s top job, died Tuesday in a helicopter crash, his office said in a statement.

“It is with deep regret that we announce the death of the former president of the Republic of Chile,” said the statement, adding the 74-year-old Pinera had died in the popular vacation spot Lago Ranco, some 920 kilometres (570 miles) south of Santiago.