The China News Service said that at least 47 passengers on board a Henan Airlines plane had been rescued after it overshot the runway and burst into flames at Yichun in north-eastern China late Tuesday, dpa reported.
The report did not mention the fate of the others on the plane, in which initial accounts had put the number of people on board at 91.
The Brazilian-built Embraer E190 plane overshot the runway at Yichun City on a flight from Harbin and burst into flames. Both cities are in Heilongjiang province.
Chinese news media said rescue teams and firefighters rushed to the scene. The Xinhua news agency reported that over 20 people had been taken to hospital.