Two children were killed in a wall collapse near Siliguri on Tuesday night as consistent showers across north Bengal and Sikkim triggered waterlogging, landslides and cave-ins, leaving thousands of people inconvenienced.

The wall of the children's home collapsed when they were asleep at Paglupara in the Rajganj block of Jalpaiguri district.

The wall, local people said, had weakened because of the downpour. During the rainfall, Sanjib Mahanta and his wife were busy clearing rainwater that had flooded their hut while their three-year-old daughter and one-and-a-half-year-old son were sleeping inside. Suddenly, the wall collapsed and the children were buried alive.

With the help of neighbours, the parents extricated the children from the debris. The siblings were rushed to the Siliguri district hospital, where doctors pronounced them dead.

Khageswar Roy, the Trinamool Congress MLA of Rajganj, met the bereaved parents on Wednesday. He was accompanied by officials of the block administration and members of the rural body.

“It was a shocking incident. We will extend necessary assistance to the affected family members,” Roy said.

He said the chief of the local panchayat had been asked to rebuild the damaged house. A sum of ₹20,000 has been handed over to them as immediate assistance.

The rainfall also caused fresh damage along some stretches of NH10 that connects Sikkim and Kalimpong with Siliguri since Tuesday night.

On Tuesday evening, the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), which maintains the highway, announced the closure of traffic along a 30km-long stretch of NH10 between Sevoke and Chitrey, considering the recent landslides and cave-ins, and keeping in mind the safety of people.

While the NHIDCL started the repairs, the rainfall triggered fresh landslides and cave-ins at places like 29th Mile, 27th Mile, Likhuveer and Shwetijhora, said a source in the Kalimpong district administration.

In the Mirik subdivision of Darjeeling, two houses became vulnerable after a road caved in at Krishnanagar.

Representatives of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, the local civic body and the state public works department have visited the spot, sources said.

“The families living in these houses have been shifted. Steps are being taken to prevent further damage,” said an official.

The rainfall led to waterlogging in different locations in and around Siliguri. Prominent areas like Bidhan Market, which is the largest retail hub of the city, Hakimpara, Haiderpara, Collegepara, Champasari and the adjacent area of Siliguri district hospital were affected by waterlogging. People had to trudge through knee-deep water to reach their homes.

The rainfall continued throughout the night and even on Wednesday, leaving people inconvenienced.

“In the 24 hours till 8.30am on Wednesday, it rained 143mm in Siliguri and its adjacent areas,” said a weather expert of the India Meteorological Department.

“The southwest monsoon is vigorously active in the region, and there is a forecast of heavy to very heavy rainfall in Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, and Cooch Behar in the next 24 hours. People should be on alert,” he added.