ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) - At least 13 people, including four kids, were killed in 2 different stampedes in Nigeria as big crowds collected to collect food and clothing items distributed at annual Christmas occasions, the authorities said Saturday.

The two mishaps came days after another such stampede in Africa ´ s most populous country, amid a growing pattern by regional companies, churches and people to organize fundraiser ahead of Christmas, as the country battles 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, authorities representative Josephine Adeh said in a declaration, including that more than 1,000 individuals have actually been evacuated from the church.

There was a crowd surge at one of the church gates, as lots attempted to go into the premises at around 4 a.m., hours before the gift products were to be shared, witnesses stated, explaining that some had actually been waiting because the previous night.

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

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

"The event had actually not even begun when the rush began," authorities spokesman Tochukwu Ikenga stated. There might be more deaths taped as officers examine the event, he stated.

Viral footage that seemed from the Abuja scene showed lifeless bodies lying on the ground as individuals yelled for assistance. A few of the injured have actually been treated and discharged while others continue to receive healthcare, cops stated.

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

As the church held a wedding after the crowd was left, the pain and sadness stayed palpable even as families and buddies collected for wedding event pictures.

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

The current stampedes in Nigeria have raised questions about safety procedures in such occasions. Several kids were killed on Wednesday today when a regional structure organized a well-attended funfair to disperse gift items and food to kids in southwestern Oyo state.

After the newest disaster, the police in Abuja revealed that prior approval needs to be acquired before such charity events are arranged.

The existing financial challenge under Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who assured "restored hope" when he was sworn into office in May 2023, is blamed on rising inflation that is at a 28-year high and the government ´ s financial policies that have pressed the regional currency to tape low versus the dollar.

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