ISLAMABAD - At least 20 people were killed and several others seriously injured in a US drone attack launched early Friday morning in Pakistan's northwest tribal area of North Waziristan, reported local English TV channel Express.

According to the report, four missiles were fired at a suspected militant compound near the Miransha area of North Waziristan which borders Afghanistan. Identities of the people killed in the strike are not known at the moment of this stage.

Friday morning's strike is the 25th of its kind since 2011. To date, at least 174 people have reported killed in the 25 strikes launched by the US drones since the beginning of this year.

Out of the 25 strikes, 21 were conducted in North Waziristan while the remaining four were carried out in the neighboring tribal area of South Waziristan.