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

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

Ten people 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 representative Josephine Adeh stated in a statement, adding that more than 1,000 people have been left from the church.

There was a crowd surge at one of the church gates, as dozens attempted to enter the properties at around 4 a.m., hours before the gift products were to be shared, witnesses said, pointing out that some had been waiting given that the previous night.

"The method they were rushing to enter, some individuals were falling and some of them were old," Loveth Inyang, a witness. he managed to save one baby as his mom struggled in the surge.

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

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

Viral footage that appeared to be from the Abuja scene showed lifeless bodies lying on the ground as people yelled for help. A few of the hurt have been dealt with and released while others continue to get treatment, police stated.

The church canceled the fundraiser with bags of rice and clothes products still set up within the properties.

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

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

The recent stampedes in Nigeria have raised questions about security steps in such occasions. Several children were eliminated on Wednesday this week when a regional foundation arranged a well-attended funfair to distribute gift products and food to kids in southwestern Oyo state.

After the current disaster, the police in Abuja announced that prior permission must be obtained before such charity occasions are organized.

The present financial hardship under Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who promised "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 local currency to tape low versus the dollar.

Frustration over the cost-of-living crisis has actually resulted in mass demonstrations in recent months. In August, at least 20 individuals were shot dead and hundreds of others were jailed at protests demanding better opportunities and tasks for youths.