Henan Airlines' senior management apologized on Thursday to families of the victims and to the entire country for Tuesday's deadly air crash.

Liu Hang bows and apologizes to families of the victims for Tuesday's deadly air crash at the news conference in Yichun, Heilongjiang Province on August 26, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

A Brazilian-made ERJ-190 jet owned by Henan Airlines that carried 96 people crashed during its landing on Tuesday at the Yichun Airport, killing 42 and injuring 54.

Liu Hang, chairman of the board of supervisors of Henan Airlines, made repeated apologies, sometimes crying, at a press conference in Yichun on Thursday.

At the news conference, Lu Erxue, an official with the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), said 15 injured passengers in critical condition were airlifted to Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province, for treatment at four hospitals on Wednesday.

The transferred passengers include five children, according to Xinhua News Agency.

Four children suffered burns and three are in critical condition, said Wang Yongchen, deputy chief of First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University.

Wang is caring for 10 out of the 15 injured passengers airlifted to Harbin.

"Some children can speak and you cannot see any obvious burns on their skin, but their respiratory tracts are damaged (from smoke and fumes) to such an extent that it is life-threatening," Wang said.