ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) – At least 13 people, consisting of four children, were eliminated in two different stampedes in Nigeria as large crowds collected to collect food and clothing products dispersed at annual Christmas occasions, the police said Saturday.

The two accidents came days after another such stampede in Africa ´ s most populated country, in the middle of a growing trend by regional companies, churches and people to arrange fundraiser ahead of Christmas, as the nation battles 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, authorities representative Josephine Adeh said in a statement, adding that more than 1,000 individuals have been left from the church.

There was a crowd rise at one of the church gates, as dozens tried to get in the premises at around 4 a.m., hours before the present items were to be shared, witnesses said, explaining that some had actually been waiting since the previous night.

«The method they were hurrying to go into, some people were falling and a few of them were old,» Loveth Inyang, a witness. Inyang said he managed to save one infant as his mother struggled in the surge.

Three people passed away in a comparable crush later in the southeastern Anambra state’s Okija town at a charity by a philanthropist, the state police said.

«The occasion had actually not even started when the rush started,» authorities spokesman Tochukwu Ikenga stated. There could be more deaths tape-recorded as officers investigate the incident, he stated.

Viral video footage that appeared to be from the Abuja scene showed lifeless bodies lying on the ground as individuals shouted for help. A few of the injured have been dealt with and released while others continue to get healthcare, cops stated.

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

As the church held a marital relationship event after the crowd was evacuated, the agony and unhappiness stayed palpable even as friends and families gathered for wedding pictures.

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu expressed his sympathy with the victims’ families and asked states and appropriate authorities to enforce strict crowd control steps.

The current stampedes in Nigeria have raised concerns about security steps in such occasions. Several kids were eliminated on Wednesday today when a local structure arranged a well-attended funfair to distribute gift products and food to kids in southwestern Oyo state.

After the most recent disaster, the cops in Abuja revealed that previous authorization should be obtained before such fundraiser are organized.

The current economic hardship under Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who guaranteed «restored hope» when he was sworn into office in May 2023, is blamed on surging inflation that is at a 28-year high and the federal government ´ s economic policies that have actually pressed the regional currency to tape-record low against the dollar.

Frustration over the cost-of-living crisis has caused mass demonstrations in current months. In August, at least 20 individuals were shot dead and numerous others were apprehended at protests demanding much better chances and jobs for young individuals.