What were Sebastián Piñera's last words before death? Former Chilean President tried to save his sister and friends as helicopter crashed

Sebastián Piñera, who served as the Chilean President from 2010 to 2014 and again from 2018 to 2022, died in a tragic helicopter accident on Tuesday, February 6. The accident took place in Lago Ranco, southern Chile, where the conservative businessman had been enjoying the summer holidays with his friends and family.

Piñera, 74, was an avid helicopter pilot and had decided to take his helicopter for a spin with his sister and two friends after lunch, according to the Buenos Aires Times. The media outlet also claimed that the weather that day was rainy and windy, with a thick cluster of clouds gathered in the sky.

Sebastián Piñera’s aircraft crashed shortly after its take-off, with all three passengers having survived by jumping off before the crash, except Piñera. The former president’s sister later revealed to reporters that they were saved because of her brother, whose last words were:

“You guys jump first.”

Following Piñera’s death, the Chilean President, Gabriel Boric, announced three days of mourning in the nation, followed by a state funeral on Friday, February 9, to remember the late president.

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"if I jump with you, the helicopter will fall on you": President Sebastián Piñera’s final words to his sister

The Coffin Carrying Former President Of Chile Sebastian Piñera Arrives To Lie In State At National Congress (Image via Getty/ Marcelo Hernandez)

As the details of Piñera’s tragic accident were revealed, it was found that the former President's helicopter crashed in an immense lake situated 920 kilometers (570 miles) south of Santiago, where it sank deep into the water body.

As per the Daily Mail, Sebastián Piñera’s body was found lying inside the helicopter 91 feet under the water’s surface by a fire department diver, which was then retrieved and placed on a boat.

Tatiana Esquivel, the regional prosecutor, stated that Piñera had sunk into the lake, seated inside the aircraft, as he was unable to loosen his seat belt. The prosecutor also confirmed that the ex-president’s autopsy reports revealed the cause of death to be “asphyxiation due to submersion.”

Magdalena, Piñera’s sister, who was one of the passengers in the helicopter, revealed to Chile’s reporters that her brother’s last words were:

“You guys jump first, because if I jump with you, the helicopter will fall on you.”

The other passengers in the helicopter to have flown with Piñera the last time were his friend, Ignacio Guerrero, and reportedly his son, Bautista Guerrero. Before taking off, the trio, excluding Magdalena, had lunch at the home of Jośe Cox, who was a businessman and Piñera’s university classmate, as per the Daily Mail’s report.

Chilean citizens form queues outside the National Congress to pay their respects to the coffin of ex-president Sebastián Piñera (Image via Getty Images/Marcelo Hernandez)

Ricardo González, a Los Ríos prosecutor, shared with Daily Mail:

“The extraction was not complex, since the weather conditions, temperature, water, wind, depth, and survey, were favorable for free diving.”

President Gabriel Boric received the ex-president’s coffin in Santiago, thereafter taking it to the Congress, where it will lie in state until Friday’s funeral. The former president is survived by his wife, María Cecilia Morel Montes, and four children.