Taipei, Feb 9 (IANS): The bodies of three Chinese people killed in the Taiwan plane crash Feb 4 were repatriated to China Monday.

Officials said the remains of the three Chinese victims, accompanied by relatives, departed for Fujian province's Xiamen Taiwan's Taoyuan Airport. These bodies were the first to be repatriated, Xinhua reported.

TransAsia Airways flight GE235, en route to Kinmen, a small archipelago of several islands, from Taipei with 53 passengers and five crew on board, crashed in the Keelung river after its wing clipped a taxi on an elevated freeway, 10 minutes after takeoff.

At least 40 people were killed, 15 survived and three are still missing. Among the 53 passengers, 31 were Chinese tourists and 22 were Taiwanese.

Meanwhile, families of the other 26 Chinese victims are yet to decide if their relatives will be cremated in Taiwan, TransAsia Airways said, adding it will offer transportation assistance if needed.

Rescue workers continued their search along the Keelung river for three missing passengers Sunday.

A memorial ceremony is scheduled to be held Feb 10 in Taipei.