NEW DELHI, June 3 (Xinhua) -- Remains of the lost Indian MIG-27 fighter aircraft, which went missing in north Bengal in eastern India on May 19, was found inside Bhutan Thursday morning.

    "The wreckage of the plane was found at Samchi hills in Bhutan.The Indian Air Force (IAF) has started taking necessary action in this regard," the Press Trust of India quoted Inspector General ofPolice (north Bengal) Bagish Mishra as saying.

    News about the missing aircraft was received after the IAF decided to airdrop leaflets in the area, urging inhabitants to provide any information they had on the ill-fated plane.

    The MIG-27 fighter aircraft had gone missing during a routine training sortie from the Hashimara air force base in north Bengal to the nearby Bagdogra airfield during heavy rains in the area.

    A massive aerial and ground search operation had been launched subsequently but there was no trace of the missing plane even as the neighboring nations, including Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal, were alerted about it.

    The Indian Air Force has lost more than 50 fighter aircraft in accidents since January 2000. Enditem