Augusto Pinochet dies at 91

SANTIAGO.- Augusto Pinochet, who ruled Chile from 1973-1990, died on Sunday, a week after suffering a heart attack, a military doctor said.

"He died surrounded by his family," Dr. Juan Ignacio Vergara told reporters outside the hospital.

"Later this afternoon, we will give more details," he said.

Pinochet, 91, who was diabetic and had been in frail health for years, underwent bypass surgery after the December 3 heart attack. He was given Roman Catholic last rites and his son said the surgery had brought him back from the brink of death.

Pinochet was under house arrest at the time of his recent heart attack, accused in the deaths of two bodyguards of former Chilean President Salvador Allende, who he ousted in a coup.

The charges were the latest in a series against Pinochet, who issued a statement last month on his 91st birthday suggesting he realized his death could be near.

"Today, close to the end of my days, I want to make clear that I hold no rancor toward anybody, that I love my country above all else", he said in a statement read by his wife on his 91st birthday last month.

In the statement, he accepted "political responsibility" for acts committed during his rule.