ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) - A minimum of 13 individuals, including 4 kids, were eliminated in two different stampedes in Nigeria as big crowds collected to collect food and clothing items dispersed at yearly Christmas events, the cops said Saturday.

The 2 mishaps came days after another such stampede in Africa ´ s most populated country, in the middle of a growing trend by regional companies, churches and people to arrange charity drive ahead of Christmas, as the nation deals with the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation.

Ten individuals were eliminated in the first stampede in the early hours at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama, an upmarket part of the capital, Abuja, cops spokesperson Josephine Adeh said in a statement, adding that more than 1,000 people have been left from the church.

There was a crowd surge at one of the church gates, as lots attempted to go into the facilities at around 4 a.m., hours before the gift products were to be shared, witnesses stated, explaining that some had been waiting considering that the previous night.

"The method they were rushing to go into, some individuals were falling and some of them were old," Loveth Inyang, a witness. Inyang stated he handled to rescue one child as his mother struggled in the surge.

Three people died in a comparable crush later in the southeastern Anambra state's Okija town at a fundraiser arranged by a philanthropist, the state authorities stated.

"The occasion had not even started when the rush began," cops spokesperson Tochukwu Ikenga said. There might be more deaths tape-recorded as officers investigate the incident, he said.

Viral footage that seemed from the Abuja scene showed lifeless bodies resting on the ground as people yelled for aid. Some of the hurt have actually been treated and released while others continue to get treatment, authorities stated.

The church canceled the fundraiser with bags of rice and clothes products still organized within the properties.

As the a marriage event after the crowd was left, the pain and unhappiness remained palpable even as households and pals collected for wedding event images.

Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu revealed his sympathy with the victims' families and asked states and pertinent authorities to enforce rigorous crowd control measures.

The current stampedes in Nigeria have actually raised questions about safety steps in such events. Several kids were killed on Wednesday today when a regional foundation arranged a well-attended funfair to distribute gift products and food to kids in southwestern Oyo state.

After the newest catastrophe, the authorities in Abuja revealed that prior consent should be acquired before such charity drive are organized.

The present financial hardship under Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who guaranteed "restored hope" when he was sworn into workplace in May 2023, is blamed on rising inflation that is at a 28-year high and the federal government ´ s economic policies that have actually pressed the regional currency to record low versus the dollar.

Frustration over the cost-of-living crisis has actually caused mass demonstrations in recent months. In August, a minimum of 20 individuals were shot dead and hundreds of others were jailed at demonstrations demanding much better opportunities and tasks for young people.