Each aircraft had at least nine (as of 18 July 1997 it's four for TWA 800) never recovered bodies even though exhaustive searches were conducted and searchers were on scene immediately. Missing bodies generally sitting in same seating location, above and aft of forward cargo door. Possible explanation of why they are missing is that they are expelled from seats by the explosive decompression, sucked into huge suction of engine number three nearby, cut up by turbine blades, combusted in combustion chamber, expelled in exhaust, and dissipated by wind.
"Passengers-Nine Passengers who were seated in seats 8H,
9FGH, 10GH, 11GH and 12H, were ejected from the fuselage and were
not found; and thus, are assumed to have been fatally injured
in the accident."
NTSB/AAR 92/02 Page 109
"Medical examination was conducted on the 131 bodies recovered
after the accident. This comprises about 40 percent of the 329
persons on board."
Canadian Aviation Safety Board Air
India 23 June 1985, page 19
"The bodies of 10 passengers were not recovered and of
these, 8 had been allocated seats in rows 23 to 28 positioned
over the wing at the front of the economy section."
UK AAIB Report 2/90 Page 31
"Investigators gave no hint of whether they are also focusing
on seats from that area. But a source familiar with the investigation
said that none of the bodies recovered from rows 18 through 22,
which are above the center fuel tank and near where right wing
joined fuselage, show any trace of the explosion." "In
all, a dozen of the 22 missing bodies were supposed to be seated
between rows 18 and 28, where investigators are rebuilding a section
of the aircraft located over the center fuel tank. In one spot
on the right side of row 19, two missing passengers were supposed
to be seated, and a third was seated a row behind them. Investigators
have said the right side of the aircraft has shown heavier evidence
of burning and charring. Four more missing victims were assigned
to another spot in rows 22 to 24, within two seats of one another."
News Reports from Associated Press,
Reuters, major newspapers, press releases from NTSB, FBI
Missing body count now stands at fourteen.
Just a day after the anniversary of the crash of TWA Flight
800, the Suffolk Medical Examiner said that seven more victims
have been positively identified by matching DNA from their remains
to genetic material found in their personal items or relatives'
blood samples. That brings the total identified to 226 out of
the 230 aboard the plane.
Newsday, 18 July 1997