Two architects, one from Mozambique and one from South Africa were hired to design and oversee the construction of the Monument which conveys the mourning of the death of the President and his companions. 35 steel tubes symbolize the number of those who lost their lives. At the bottom of each steel tube a brownish substance forms on the concrete slab, representing their blood. The pillars cast long shadows over the base. The wind at the top of the steel tubes causes permanent whispering through incisions in the pillars - the whispers represent the cries of those who died. Among those who died along with the President included Ministers; Ambassadors; Russian Crew; Cuban Presidential Medical Team; Cabin Crew and Government Officials. The President had been returning from an international meeting in Lusaka, Zambia.