Chilean President Gabriel Boric Tuesday decreed three days of mourning for the death of his predecessor Sebastián Piñera (2010-2014 and 2018-2022) in a helicopter crash. He also praised the Conservative leader for his crisis management skills after the 2010 earthquake and during the Covid-19 pandemic. Boric also announced that the two-time President Piñera would receive full honors and a state funeral.
Former Chilean President Sebastián Piñera tragically passed away on Tuesday at the age of 74 in a helicopter crash in Lago Ranco, Chile. According to Chilean media reports, including ADN Radio, the accident occurred approximately 920 kilometers south of Santiago.
According to the latest bulletin from Chilean authorities Sunday, at least 112 people had been killed as wildfires kept multiplying nationwide during the weekend, particularly in the Valparaiso region. Some 40,000 people have been left homeless or displaced, it was also reported.
Media reports all across the Southern Cone Friday underlined the heat wave affecting Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, and Paraguay with temperatures reaching 48 degrees Celsius and forecast to remain around or above 40 degrees for several days.
At least ten people were reported Friday to have died in Chile as forest firest gripped the Valparaíso area, where President Gabriel Boric Font decreed a state of emergency.
A 39-year-old Chilean tourist identified as Javier Valdés Susarte was found dead at a Rio de Janeiro favela, it was reported Thursday in Brazil's former capital city. Authorities are still investigating.
Despite the ongoing economic crisis, a sharp increase in sales of facemasks (15%) and alcohol gel (10%) was reported amid a surge in Covid-19 detections, the Argentine Union of Pharmacists and Biochemists (SAFyB) said. In this scenario, federal health authorities have again recommended people update their vaccination scheme against the malady.
The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Tuesday launched an appeal to intensify international cooperation and joint work in times of great global uncertainty, it was reported in Santiago de Chile, where the agency convened at the headquarters of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).
Chilean authorities Friday inaugurated the South American country's first high-speed train service. The convoy, which has four cars and can accommodate 236 passengers, links connects Santiago with Curicó in two hours and three minutes at a maximum speed of 160 km/h. Curicó is a rich agricultural production area known for its wine cellars.
A Spanish pilot lost his life on Monday when the firefighting plane he was operating crashed in the central Maule region, as reported by the National Forestry Corporation (Conaf) of Chile.