ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) - At least 13 individuals, consisting of four children, were eliminated in 2 different stampedes in Nigeria as large crowds collected to collect food and clothes products distributed at annual Christmas occasions, the cops said Saturday.

The 2 mishaps came days after another such stampede in Africa ´ s most populated nation, amidst a growing pattern by local organizations, churches and people to organize charity drive ahead of Christmas, as the country has problem 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 spokesman 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 enter the premises at around 4 a.m., hours before the present products were to be shared, witnesses said, explaining that some had actually been waiting since the previous night.

"The method they were rushing to go into, some individuals were falling and a few of them were old," Loveth Inyang, a witness. Inyang said he handled to save one baby as his mother had a hard time in the rise.

Three individuals died in a comparable crush later on in the southeastern Anambra state's Okija town at a fundraiser arranged by a philanthropist, the state police stated.

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

Viral footage that seemed from the Abuja scene showed lifeless bodies lying on the ground as individuals yelled for aid. A few of the injured have been dealt with and discharged while others continue to get treatment, police said.

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

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

Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu expressed his compassion with the victims' households and asked states and relevant authorities to impose rigorous crowd control measures.

The recent stampedes in Nigeria have raised questions about security measures in such events. Several kids were killed on Wednesday today when a local foundation organized a well-attended funfair to disperse gift items and food to kids in southwestern Oyo state.

After the current catastrophe, the authorities in Abuja announced that prior permission should be gotten before such fundraiser are organized.

The existing financial hardship under Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who promised "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 federal government ´ s economic policies that have actually pushed the regional currency to record low versus the dollar.

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