The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has released a statement saying nine South African soldiers were killed in fierce fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

SANDF said this happened while holding off an attack by M23 rebels who were trying to reach the city of Goma.

Previous reports had said three soldiers died and 14 were wounded.

Goma is the provincial capital of the eastern DRC.

The SANDF says in a statement that the M23 rebels were not able to reach Goma because of the heroic resistance of the SANDF soldiers.

There are also reports that some soldiers from Malawi have been killed in the attack as the Malawi Defence Force is yet to confirm on the identifies of the soldiers.