ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) - A minimum of 13 individuals, consisting of 4 children, were killed in 2 different stampedes in Nigeria as large crowds collected to gather food and clothes products dispersed at yearly Christmas occasions, the authorities stated Saturday.

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

Ten people 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 representative Josephine Adeh stated in a declaration, including that more than 1,000 people have actually been evacuated from the church.

There was a crowd rise at one of the church gates, as lots tried to get in the facilities at around 4 a.m., hours before the present products were to be shared, witnesses stated, pointing out that some had been waiting considering that the previous night.

"The method they were hurrying to enter, some individuals were falling and some of them were old," Loveth Inyang, a witness. Inyang stated he handled to rescue one infant as his mother had a hard time in the rise.

Three individuals passed away in a comparable crush later in the southeastern Anambra state's Okija town at a charity occasion organized by a philanthropist, the state cops stated.

"The occasion had not even started when the rush started," authorities representative Tochukwu Ikenga said. There might be more deaths tape-recorded as officers examine the occurrence, he said.

Viral footage that seemed from the Abuja scene showed lifeless bodies lying on the ground as people shouted for aid. A few of the injured have actually been treated and discharged while others continue to receive healthcare, authorities said.

The church canceled the fundraiser with bags of rice and clothing items still set up within the facilities.

As the church held a wedding after the crowd was evacuated, the agony and unhappiness remained palpable even as friends and families collected for wedding event pictures.

Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu expressed his sympathy with the victims' families and asked states and relevant authorities to enforce strict crowd control procedures.

The current stampedes in Nigeria have raised questions about precaution in such occasions. Several kids were killed on Wednesday today when a regional foundation organized a well-attended funfair to distribute present items and food to kids in southwestern Oyo state.

After the latest catastrophe, the cops in Abuja announced that prior consent should be gotten before such fundraiser are organized.

The existing financial difficulty 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 pushed the regional currency to tape low versus the dollar.

Frustration over the cost-of-living crisis has caused mass protests in recent months. In August, at least 20 individuals were shot dead and hundreds of others were apprehended at demonstrations demanding much better chances and jobs for youths.