Apparently 42 people have just recently been killed in a plane crash in the north eastern Chinese province of Heilongjiang. According to some sources, the Henan Airlines-operated flight overshot the runway at the Yichun City airport with about 96 people on board.

Three of the survivors remain in intensive care at some of the local hospitals. The Air Embraer 190 aircraft, which was traveling from Harbin, broke into two pieces after landing at 22:10 local time. So far the official cause of the accident has yet to be established. The good news is that investigators have said that the flight recorders have been recovered.

Reports also say that the pilot is believed to be among the survivors of the plane crash. However, he is presently unable to assist in the investigation due to his injuries. One male survivor said that the plane really started to shake in a scary way. The plane jolted about five to six times really hard.

Henan Airlines is operated by Air China. Both of these airlines have suspended all flights following this incident. The accident is the first fatal airline crash on Chinese soil in the past six years. It comes against a background of improving safety in the country.

Back in 2004, a China Eastern Airlines plane crashed into a frozen lake in Inner Mongolia shortly after takeoff. It killed 53 people on board. Air travel in China has increased by some 300 percent over the past decade. Airlines are currently seeking to modernize their fleets to meet international standards. More news about this crash should be reported after the flight recorders are analyzed.