The death toll of a suspected U. S. drone attack in Pakistan's tribal area on Saturday has reached 26, the private TV channel DAWN NEWS reported.

A suspected U.S. drone fired two missiles at a house in Jangry area of Lada tehsil of South Waziristan tribal area, said the report.

The targeted house was located in an area controlled by a militant leader Baitullah Mehsud, according to DAWN NEWS.

The death toll is likely to rise as there are still bodies buried under the debris at the site of the attack, reports said.

U.S. senator Dianne Feinstein Thursday revealed that the drones which carried out missile attacks in Pakistan's tribal regions were actually flown from an air space in Pakistan, an allegation denied by Pakistani Defense Minister Ahmad Mukhtar.

The Pakistan government often criticized Washington for the missile attacks in its tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, saying that such cross-border missile attacks are "counter-productive" in the fight against terrorism.

(Xinhua News Agency Feburary 14, 2009)