Pinera announced his decision from the military base Group 10 of the Chilean Air Force (FACH), where he participated in a military ceremony which honored after one of the four victims found in the crash area.

"The country is in a feeling of deep sorrow and pain, so I decided to declare national mourning on September 5-6, in solidarity with the victims," said the president.

Shortly before the ceremony, Pinera communicated by video conference with the Defense Minister Andres Allamand, who is in the Juan Fernandez Islands to oversee the search procedure damaged aircraft.

"We hope this effort will be successful and we could find the dead ones and return their bodies to their families," said the president as he mentioned the large deployment of ships, airplanes and fisher cooperation in the area.

According to the Chilean government, the plane crash occurred on September 2 off the shore of Juan Fernandez Islands. The largest of its kind in 20 years in Chile killed 21 people on board, including Philip Camiroaga, the country's most famous entertainer, which has caused public outcry.