Families Fault TWA at Service for 15 Missing Victims

Coffins bearing mementos instead of bodies were buried Wednesday in memory of the 15 victims of TWA Flight 800 whose remains were never found.

Angela Mercurio of Bari, Italy, brought red roses, letters from family members and house keys belonging to her brother, 29-year-old Giuseppe Mercurio, to place in his coffin.

Several relatives, however, drew little comfort from the service, instead drawing support from each other and sharply criticizing how the airline organized the burial.

“This service has nothing to do with the families,” said Cindy Hurd, whose brother, James Hurd III, was one of the 230 killed in the crash. “This is closure for TWA.”

Hurd said she came “out of respect for my brother’s memory. That’s why all of us are here.”

Jose Cremades, who lost his son, Daniel, and serves as a spokesman for families of Flight 800, said: “The real reason most of the families came was to meet the other families, not because of this service. They have a special need to share their pain with those who understand.”

The families, in a letter, criticized TWA’s “orchestration” of the private service, held under a white tent at Pinelawn Memorial Park.

The letter complained that TWA didn’t include the families of the 215 victims whose bodies have been recovered and criticized the airline for leaving it to the National Transportation Safety Board to notify them about the service.

Authorities say a bomb, missile or mechanical failure could have caused the blast that brought down the jet.