Peruvian Defense Minister Jose Huerta, a retired general, died Monday of a heart attack during a visit to military bases, the government announced. He was 71.

Two days of national mourning were declared in honor of Huerta, who passed away after arriving in Santa Maria de Nieva, a town in Peru's Amazonas region, state media said.

He collapsed as he was boarding a helicopter.

President Martin Vizcarra paid tribute to Huerta's service to the nation, and called the news of his death "painful."

Huerta was given full military honors when a coffin bearing his remains was flown back to the capital Lima. Lawmakers observed a moment of silence.

Huerta assumed office just nine days after Vizcarra took over from former president Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, who stepped down in March last year.

Monday and Tuesday were designated as official days of mourning. The country's flag will be flown at half-staff on all public buildings, military bases and police barracks. </s> El ministro de Defensa, José Huerta, falleció la mañana del lunes, a los 71 años, a causa de un paro cardíaco. Ocurrió cuando se encontraba en el distrito de El Cenepa, provincia de Condorcanqui, región Amazonas .

De acuerdo con un comunicado difundido por el Ministerio de Defensa, José Huerta Torres sufrió un desvanecimiento mientras hacía una visita de inspección al Puesto Integral de Vigilancia y Control Territorial N° 4 (PIVCT 4) en la provincia de Condorcanqui, frontera con Ecuador.

El titular de Defensa se encontraba acompañado por miembros del Comando Conjunto de las Fuerzas Armadas y del Ejército.

Huerta Torres "recibió los primeros auxilios y fue traslado en helicóptero al Hospital de Santa María de Nieva, donde recibió la atención de emergencia", indica el informe. Lamentablemente, dejó de existir al promediar las 10:00 de la mañana.

Con profundo pesar, expresamos nuestras más sentidas condolencias por el repentino fallecimiento del ministro de Defensa, José Huerta Torres, mientras trabajaba incansablemente por el país, al que amaba profundamente y al que le otorgó hasta el último minuto de su vida. pic.twitter.com/4hiXjHBGuH — MINDEF PERU (@MindefPeru) 24 de junio de 2019

APOYÓ CAMPAÑA DEL MINISTERIO DE LA MUJER



La semana pasada, el titular de Defensa había expresado su respaldo total a los miembros del Ejército que habían participado en una campaña del Ministerio de la Mujer y Poblaciones Vulnerables.

"Estas prendas no denigran para nada el uniforme de las Fuerzas Armadas. No se denigra, es parte de una campaña [...] Esa es mi opinión como ministro de Estado y acá no va a haber persona que vaya a ser castigada, sancionada ni cuestionada por esta situación", dijo sobre las críticas por el uso de un mandil rosa por parte del alto mando del Ejército.

José Huerta era viceministro de Políticas para la Defensa cuando fue nombrado como titular del ministerio por el presidente Martín Vizcarra en abril del 2018. </s> Ministro de Defensa de Perú.

(CNN Español) — José Huerta Torres, ministro de Defensa de Perú, falleció este lunes de un paro cardiaco, reporta la agencia Andina.



Huerta Torres estaba en la selva en actividades de su cargo, dice Andina.

El ministro tenía 71 años.

El presidente de Perú, Martín Vizcarra, tuiteo un mensaje para la familia de Huerta Torres:

Lamento profundamente el fallecimiento del ministro de Defensa José Huerta, quien nos ha dejado sirviendo a su Patria. Esta es una noticia dolorosa y que nos apena profundamente. Mis sentidas condolencias a la familia. — Martín Vizcarra (@MartinVizcarraC) June 24, 2019

Por su parte, el presidente del Consejo de Ministros de Perú, Salvador del Solar, lamentó la muerte en su cuenta de Twitter: </s> LIMA, Peru -- Former Peruvian President Alan Garcia died Wednesday after shooting himself in the head moments after police attempted to detain him amid corruption allegations in Latin America's largest graft probe.

President Martin Vizcarra announced on Twitter that Garcia died after undergoing emergency surgery hours earlier. Doctors at the Jose Casimiro Ulloa Hospital in the capital city of Lima said they provided cardiac resuscitation three times while trying to save his life.

“Distraught over the death of ex-President Alan Garcia,” Vizcarra wrote. “I send my condolences to his family and loved ones.”

The shocking end for the man who twice ruled Peru but more recently was ensnared in the Odebrecht corruption scandal comes amid national upheaval over endemic corruption involving nearly every former living president.

Garcia repeatedly professed his innocence and said he was the victim of false testimony by political enemies who accused him of taking more than $100,000 from the Brazilian construction giant. Odebrecht admitted in a 2016 plea agreement with the U.S. Justice Department that it paid nearly $800 million throughout Latin America in exchange for lucrative public works contracts.

The 69-year-old former head of state's attorney accused authorities Wednesday of neglecting to provide Garcia information on why he was being detained or show their official identifications when they showed up to arrest him.

“The president, upset over this situation, knowing his absolute innocence ... had this terrible accident,” attorney Erasmo Reyna said.

Interior Minister Carlos Moran said police found Garcia on the second floor of his home when they arrived. He asked for a moment to call his lawyer, entering a bedroom of the leafy mansion in Miraflores and closing the door behind him.

“Minutes later the sound of gunfire was heard,” Moran said. “Police forced their way into the room and found him.”

He was immediately transported to the hospital, arriving at 6:45 a.m. local time. A team of doctors, some called from outside hospitals, began operating at 7:10 a.m., according to Peru's health ministry.

“The situation is very critical,” Health Minister Zulema Tomas said shortly after the incident. “It's grave.”

The stunning turn of events comes four months after Garcia tried to seek asylum in Uruguay as prosecutors in Peru investigated allegations he illegally took payments from Odebrecht. He remained there for a little more than two weeks before having his request denied. In rejecting his claim, the South American nation's embassy said there was no evidence to support Garcia's contention that he was being targeted politically.

“In Peru, the three branches of government function freely and autonomously, especially in the case of judicial power,” Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez said.

Peru has gone further than any other country outside Brazil in prosecuting politicians tied to the Odebrecht probe. All but one living former head of state is being investigated for corruption tied to the scandal.

Just last week, former President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski was also detained for alleged money laundering tied to the probe. Congressional allies said he was taken Tuesday night to a local clinic with high blood pressure.

On Wednesday, Alberto Quintanilla, a congressman from the left-leaning political party Nuevo Peru, expressed solidarity with the family of Garcia and said that he hoped officials “would advance knowledge of the truth” through their investigations, but also respect due process.

Garcia was a populist firebrand whose erratic first presidency in the 1980s was marked by hyperinflation, rampant corruption and the rise of the Shining Path guerrilla movement.

When he returned to power two decades later he ran a more conservative government, helping usher in a commodities-led investment boom in which Odebrecht played a major supporting role.

A judicial order obtained by The Associated Press shows Judge Juan Sanchez ordered authorities to arrest Garcia and search for documents in his home related to money laundering allegations.

Prosecutors suspect the former president received more than $100,000 from Odebrecht, disguised as a payment to speak at a conference in Brazil.
The Defense Minister of Peru, José Huerta, suddenly dies of cardiac arrest while worked.