Relatives of victims of last Sunday's shipwreck off the coast of Italy searched the beach near where the boat sank for traces of recognizable belongings.

The family members started arriving at the "Steccato" beach in Cutro, a town near the province of Crotone in the Calabria region of Italy, in the early morning hours of March 2.

They came in increasingly large numbers and stayed until late in the afternoon to pay their respects and look for personal belongings of their loved ones lost in the shipwreck, which killed more than 70 people.

Those who stayed after sunset used torches, cigarette lighters and lanterns to search in the dark.

The sad pilgrimage lasted a few hours.

Majority didn't find anything

The relatives were looking for documents, photos or any personal object that could remind them of those they had lost.

But the majority of people didn't find anything -- no significant objects that could be directly linked to a victim were discovered on the beach.

The owner of a small rag doll found near the broken-up boat was not identified. Nobody had ever seen it or could directly connect it to one of the young victims of the shipwreck.

At least 14 children are reported to have died in the tragedy, with an unspecified number of passengers still missing. Many of the relatives who visited the beach cried desperately as they looked out at the sea that swallowed the lives of their dear ones.

Others looked stunned and stood silently, their pain too intense for words.

Many visitors arrived from Germany

The majority of relatives traveled to Calabria from Germany. Others came from France, the Netherlands and Sweden. Some had sent money to the migrant smugglers to contribute to their relatives' trip.

The financial effort turned out to be useless when the passengers' dream for a better life was inexorably shattered as the wooden sailboat they traveled upon sank in rough seas.

When the boat crashed against rocks near the coast, the victims of the wreck were hiding below deck, crammed one against the other.

Survivors said they were allowed to go to the deck to breathe some fresh air once it got dark.

There was still no light on the horizon when the majority of passengers died.