Two boys were killed and three others injured when a concrete slab affixed to a pillar of an under-construction wall of an idgah collapsed on them at Baduria in North 24-Parganas on Thursday evening.

Police said all the five children were rushed to the Basirhat subdivisional hospital where Asif Sardar, 7, and Saqibul Hossain, 8, were declared brought-dead. Eyewitnesses said the children had climbed on to the pillar to pick guava from an adjacent tree in the Khorgachi-Boyardanga area.

The concrete slab got displaced and collapsed along with the children.

“The boys fell on the ground first and the concrete slab collapsed on them,” an eyewitness said.

Local residents have accused the Baduria municipality, which is in charge of the construction, for using poor quality materials that led to the accident.“The children often play in the area and pick guavas climbing on to the pillar, which has been left unfinished for the past one year…. There was no protection at all... the two children lost their lives only because of sheer carelessness of the civic authorities,” said a local resident.

Local Trinamul MLA Abdur Rahim Dilu visited the area later in the evening and met the parents of the two deceased boys.“It is a very sad incident.… I shall try my best to help the families,” the MLA said.