The runway at a Kinshasa airport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) where a plane crashed on Tuesday is reportedly in a very poor condition.

At least 32 people were killed and one person was injured when the Georgian Airways plane crashed while trying to land in bad weather. Most of those killed were United Nations officials.

International Relations Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane paid tribute to the three South Africans killed.

The minister said the families were now being contacted.

"We are unable to give you the details or the identities of the three South Africans because we have to contact the families first," she told the media.

United Nations officials in the DRC could not be reached for comment following a crisis meeting on Tuesday morning.