A MiG-21 fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force broke up in midair on Thursday near Kurseong in West Bengal's Darjeeling district and the pilot is feared to have been killed.

Air Commodore Chandramouli in Bagdogra airbase told PTI on phone that the aircraft took off for a practice flight from the airbase at around 1.00 pm with Squadron Leader S Pandey piloting it.

The pilot is feared to have been killed after it broke into pieces inflight between Norbong tea estate and Shibkhola in Kurseong sub-division minutes after the take-off, he said.

The aircraft's wreckage was spread over the slopes of hills in the area, he said.

An IAF team has rushed to the spot but was yet to locate the body of Pandey, Chandramouli said.

Darjeeling's Superintendent of Police Rajesh Subarna said the police were cooperating with the IAF team in search operations. This was the first MiG-21 lost by the IAF in nearly a year.

The last accident involving one of the ageing Russian jets had occurred on March 21 last year.