ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) - A minimum of 13 individuals, consisting of four kids, were killed in two separate stampedes in Nigeria as big crowds collected to collect food and clothing items distributed at yearly Christmas occasions, the authorities said Saturday.

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

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

There was a crowd surge at one of the church gates, as lots tried to go into the facilities at around 4 a.m., hours before the gift items were to be shared, witnesses said, pointing out that some had been waiting given 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 save one child as his mother struggled in the rise.

Three individuals passed away in a comparable crush later in the southeastern Anambra state's Okija town at a fundraiser organized by a benefactor, the state police stated.

"The event had not even begun when the rush began," cops representative Tochukwu Ikenga said. There could be more deaths tape-recorded as officers investigate the occurrence, he said.

Viral footage that seemed from the Abuja scene showed lifeless bodies lying on the ground as individuals screamed for aid. Some of the injured have actually been dealt with and discharged while others continue to receive medical care, authorities said.

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

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

Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu revealed his compassion with the victims' families and asked states and appropriate authorities to impose stringent crowd control steps.

The recent stampedes in Nigeria have raised questions about safety measures in such occasions. Several children were killed on Wednesday today when a regional structure organized a well-attended funfair to distribute present products and food to kids in southwestern Oyo state.

After the current catastrophe, the cops in Abuja revealed that previous permission needs to be obtained before such fundraiser are arranged.

The current 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 against the dollar.

Frustration over the cost-of-living crisis has resulted in mass demonstrations in current months. In August, at least 20 people were shot dead and hundreds of others were apprehended at demonstrations demanding better opportunities and jobs for youths.