Santiago(Chile): General Augusto Pinochet, the fierce anti-Communist dictator who ruled Chile with an iron fist from 1973 to 1990, died on Sunday from heart complications, the Santiago Military hospital reported. He was 91.
The brief announcement by the hospital said Pinochet died after his condition worsened suddenly following a heart attack he suffered on December 3.
Relatives and friends of Pinochet were arriving at the hospital. Most relatives had gathered during the morning in a Catholic Mass for the former leader and in a celebration of his wife's 84th birthday.
Pinochet had undergone an angioplasty to enlarge a clogged artery to restore blood flow to his heart. Doctors said he had been recovering well and he had been removed on Thursday from the intensive care unit.
Several family members were with him, according to Dr. Juan Ignacio Vergara, spokesman for the medical team that had been treating him.
At the time of his death, Pinochet was under indictment in three cases stemming from the massive human rights abuses during his long reign, and for tax evasion.
Although his final years where a constant battle in court, he was never sentenced.
Police deployed a security ring around the hospital. A small group of supporters of Pinochet remained at the entrance. and reacted angrily at people who passed in vehicles and shouted insults at them.
The supporters repeatedly chanted ''Pinochet! Pinochet! Long Live Pinochet!'' and then chanted Chile's national anthem. Several women cried openly.
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