ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) - A minimum of 13 people, consisting of 4 children, were killed in two different stampedes in Nigeria as large crowds collected to collect food and clothes products distributed at yearly Christmas events, the police stated Saturday.

The two accidents came days after another such stampede in Africa ´ s most populated country, in the middle of a growing pattern by local organizations, churches and people to organize charity occasions ahead of Christmas, as the nation has problem with the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation.

Ten people were killed in the first stampede in the early hours at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama, an upmarket part of the capital, Abuja, authorities spokesman Josephine Adeh stated in a declaration, including that more than 1,000 individuals have been left from the church.

There was a crowd rise at one of the church gates, as dozens attempted to enter the at around 4 a.m., hours before the present products were to be shared, witnesses stated, explaining that some had actually been waiting since the previous night.

"The method they were hurrying to enter, some people were falling and a few of them were old," Loveth Inyang, a witness. Inyang said he handled to rescue one infant as his mom had a hard time in the surge.

Three individuals died in a similar crush later in the southeastern Anambra state's Okija town at a fundraiser organized by a philanthropist, the state authorities said.

"The occasion had actually not even begun when the rush started," cops representative Tochukwu Ikenga said. There might be more deaths taped as officers examine the event, he said.

Viral video footage that seemed from the Abuja scene revealed lifeless bodies pushing the ground as people screamed for help. Some of the injured have actually been dealt with and discharged while others continue to receive medical care, cops said.

The church canceled the charity occasion with bags of rice and clothes items still organized within the properties.

As the church held a marriage event after the crowd was evacuated, the agony and sadness remained palpable even as households and good friends gathered for wedding pictures.

Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu expressed his sympathy with the victims' households and asked states and appropriate authorities to impose strict crowd control steps.

The recent stampedes in Nigeria have actually raised concerns about safety measures in such occasions. Several kids were killed on Wednesday today when a regional foundation organized a well-attended funfair to disperse gift products and food to kids in southwestern Oyo state.

After the most recent catastrophe, the police in Abuja announced that prior consent must be gotten before such fundraiser are arranged.

The present economic difficulty under Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who assured "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 government ´ s economic policies that have actually pressed the local currency to tape-record low against the dollar.

Frustration over the cost-of-living crisis has led to mass protests in current months. In August, a minimum of 20 people were shot dead and numerous others were jailed at protests demanding better chances and tasks for young people.