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Hundreds Mark 20th Anniversary of TWA Flight 800 Crash In Long Island

SHIRLEY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Hundreds gathered Sunday in Long Island to mark the 20th anniversary of the crash of TWA Flight 800.

The airliner exploded shortly after taking off from New York, killing 230 people who were heading to Paris.

CBS2's Jessica Layton reported that hundreds took part in the memorial near the place that caused so much pain.

"It's so important for so many people not to be alone today," said Heidi Snow, who lost her fiancée Michael Breistroff in the crash.

Michelle Hidalgo was 8 when she found out her father, a flight attendant on the flight, died. She traveled from West Virginia with her husband for the ceremony.

"It's definitely something that doesn't heal 100 percent," Hidalgo said. "It stays with you forever."

Several of the people at the ceremony walked down to the beach around 8:30 p.m. to recall the moment of the explosion. Others stayed at the memorial to feel close to their loved ones.

Questions about the cause of the crash hang over some in the crowd as investigators ruled an electrical spark likely caused the center fuel tank to explode.

Some believe it was terrorism, while others believe a missile accidentally launched by the Navy brought the plane down.

"It's definitely a sore point," Hidalgo said.

"We'd just like to know the truth and we don't believe that was the truth," Michael DeTeresa of Hillsborough, New Jersey, said.

However, Snow said whatever the answer is, it won't bring loved ones back.

"None of that changes anything," Snow said. "Just miss them and wish they were with us."

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