Families Angered by Perceived Shift in Probe

EAST MORICHES. N.Y.: Eleven days after Flight 800 plunged into the Atlantic, relatives of the 230 victims have taken the stage to complain of what they see as an intentional shift in the investigation, from retrieving of the bodies to reclaiming much of the 350,000 pounds of wreckage still at the bottom of the ocean. Although the number of relatives remaining at the Ramada Hotel on Long Island has dwindled in recent days, those left have sharp tongues for investigators. John Felice, a relative of one victim, said the families believe that bodies are being left underwater while divers look for evidence for a criminal case. "We feel that we're being spoon-fed bodies, three or four a day ... to satisfy their needs," Felice said. But investigators maintained that the victims are still their first priority. One official from the National Transportation Safety Board said families have been shown videotapes from the ocean floor to help them understand the hostility and danger of the environment in which divers are working. Says TIME's Elaine Rivera: "Eventually the families will get over the initial shock of their loss, and anger will begin to set in. Then, they'll want to know who did this. So investigators are put in a difficult situation of balancing both the retrieval of bodies and the parts of the plane that could end this mystery." Rivera added that the investigators are doing all they can. "It's extremely dangerous, tedious work," she says. "Many of the bodies are probably among the wreckage." Relief may come soon for many relatives: Divers will begin removing large portions of the plane Tuesday to search for the remaining 69 bodies. the favored theory Scot Woods