Fatou Fall defiantly faced the ocean and sadly laid a flower on Mbao beach near Senegal's capital Dakar in memory of her husband -- one of many who left on perilous clandestine crossings for Europe but never returned.

The young widow was one of many of those left behind paying a low-key tribute to the country's migrants, whose dreams of a better life abroad were never fulfilled.

Barefoot on the sand, Fall contemplated sadly the flowers tossed about by the waves.

Around her, the beauty of the sparkling sea, colourful wooden pirogues and the deceptive gentleness of the surroundings hid the daily reality of the pain of loss.

"Migrate to live, not to die!" proclaimed a banner hung from the trees at the end of the beach by a local support group for migrants and their families.

As night fell on Thursday, religious leaders and relatives of the missing said a prayer and read from the Koran before scattering flowers silently in the sea.

The ceremony was part of "Commemor-action", an international drive to support the families........

© International Business Times