ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) - A minimum of 13 people, including 4 kids, were killed in 2 separate stampedes in Nigeria as large to collect food and clothing products distributed at annual Christmas occasions, the cops stated Saturday.

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

Ten individuals were eliminated in the very 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 actually been left from the church.

There was a crowd rise at one of the church gates, as dozens tried to get in the properties at around 4 a.m., hours before the gift products were to be shared, witnesses said, pointing out that some had actually been waiting considering that 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 child as his mother struggled in the surge.

Three people died in a comparable crush later on in the southeastern Anambra state's Okija town at a fundraiser organized by a benefactor, the state cops said.

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

Viral video that appeared to be from the Abuja scene revealed lifeless bodies pushing the ground as individuals yelled for help. A few of the hurt have been dealt with and discharged while others continue to get treatment, authorities said.

The church canceled the charity occasion with bags of rice and clothing products still arranged within the properties.
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As the church held a wedding after the crowd was left, the pain and sadness stayed palpable even as friends and families gathered for wedding photos.
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Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu revealed his sympathy with the victims' families and asked states and appropriate authorities to implement rigorous crowd control steps.
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The current stampedes in Nigeria have raised questions about security procedures in such occasions. Several children were killed on Wednesday this week when a regional structure arranged a well-attended funfair to distribute present products and food to kids in southwestern Oyo state.

After the latest catastrophe, the authorities in Abuja announced that prior approval must be gotten before such fundraiser are organized.

The existing economic difficulty under Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who promised "renewed hope" when he was sworn into office 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 local currency to record low versus the dollar.

Frustration over the cost-of-living crisis has actually led to mass demonstrations in recent months. In August, a minimum of 20 individuals were shot dead and hundreds of others were arrested at demonstrations demanding better chances and tasks for youths.