ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) - At least 13 people, including four kids, were eliminated in two different stampedes in Nigeria as big crowds gathered 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 nation, in the middle of a growing trend by regional organizations, churches and people to organize charity events ahead of Christmas, as the nation has problem with the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation.

Ten people were killed in the very 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, including that more than 1,000 people have actually been left from the church.

There was a crowd rise at one of the church gates, as dozens tried to go into the premises at around 4 a.m., hours before the gift 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 a few 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 surge.

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

"The occasion had actually not even started when the rush began," police representative Tochukwu Ikenga said. There could be more deaths recorded as officers examine the incident, he stated.

Viral video that seemed from the Abuja scene showed lifeless bodies pushing the ground as individuals shouted for help. Some of the hurt have been treated and discharged while others continue to receive medical care, authorities stated.

The church canceled the charity event with bags of rice and clothing items still arranged within the facilities.

As the church held a marriage ceremony after the crowd was left, the agony and unhappiness stayed palpable even as households and buddies collected for wedding event images.

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

The recent stampedes in Nigeria have raised questions about precaution in such events. Several children were eliminated on Wednesday today when a local structure organized a well-attended funfair to distribute present items and food to kids in southwestern Oyo state.

After the latest catastrophe, the authorities in Abuja announced that prior authorization needs to be gotten before such charity occasions are arranged.

The existing financial difficulty under Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who guaranteed "renewed 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 financial policies that have actually pressed the regional currency to tape low versus the dollar.

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