URUMQI, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Work has begun to remove the overturned carriages of the train that was derailed in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Thursday from the track, according to Urumqi Railway Bureau.

    "The clean-up operation was started on Thursday and it will take at least three days to finish the task," said Zhang Tianwen, a person in charge of the operation from Xinjiang Xinfeng Installation company.

    A route has been cleared to connect the nearby highway to the accident site and at least four cranes are lifting the carriages.

    "Some of the carriages will be repaired and some will be discarded," said a deputy director of the Urumqi Railway Bureau, who refused to give his name.

    He refused to discuss the issue of the fate of the passengers' personal possessions that were left on the train or whether there was a possibility of more dead bodies being found amongst the wreckage.

    The site clearance operation has been hampered by continued high-strength wind that blew the train off the track in the early hours of Wednesday morning, killing three passengers and injuring more than 30.

    Wednesday was the 10th day of the Chinese lunar new year and many of the passengers were returning home after visiting family members and friends over the holiday. The Urumqi Railway Bureau earlier predicted it would handle 1.4 million passengers during Spring Festival.

    All the injured remain in hospital but no information has been provided on their condition.