ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) - At least 13 individuals, including 4 kids, were eliminated in two separate stampedes in Nigeria as large crowds collected to collect food and clothes items distributed at yearly Christmas events, the authorities said Saturday.

The 2 mishaps came days after another such stampede in Africa ´ s most populated country, amidst a growing trend by regional companies, churches and individuals to organize fundraiser ahead of Christmas, as the nation deals with the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation.

Ten people were killed in the 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 declaration, adding 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 dozens tried to go into the premises at around 4 a.m., hours before the present products were to be shared, witnesses said, explaining that some had been waiting because the previous night.

"The way they were hurrying to get in, some individuals were falling and some of them were old," Loveth Inyang, a witness. Inyang said he managed to save one child as his mom had a hard time in the rise.

Three individuals died in a similar crush later on in the southeastern Anambra state's Okija town at a charity occasion arranged by a benefactor, the state police said.

"The occasion had not even begun when the rush began," authorities representative Tochukwu Ikenga stated. There could be more deaths taped as officers examine the event, he said.

Viral video footage that seemed from the Abuja scene showed lifeless bodies resting on the ground as people screamed for assistance. Some of the hurt have been treated and released while others continue to receive treatment, cops said.

The church canceled the charity occasion with bags of rice and clothes products still organized within the facilities.

As the church held a marital relationship event after the crowd was left, the pain and unhappiness remained palpable even as friends and families collected for wedding event pictures.

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

The current stampedes in Nigeria have raised questions about precaution in such occasions. Several kids were killed on Wednesday this week when a regional structure arranged a well-attended funfair to disperse present products and food to kids in southwestern Oyo state.

After the newest disaster, the police in Abuja announced that prior permission must be obtained before such fundraiser are organized.

The present economic 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 pressed the local currency to tape low versus the dollar.

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