ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) - A minimum of 13 people, including 4 children, were killed in 2 different stampedes in Nigeria as large crowds collected to gather food and clothes products distributed at annual Christmas events, 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, and people to organize fundraiser ahead of Christmas, as the nation struggles 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 spokesman Josephine Adeh stated in a declaration, adding that more than 1,000 people have actually been evacuated from the church.

There was a crowd surge at one of the church gates, as lots 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 been waiting considering that the previous night.

"The method they were hurrying to get in, some people were falling and some of them were old," Loveth Inyang, a witness. Inyang stated he handled to save one child 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 charity drive arranged by a philanthropist, the state authorities said.

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

Viral video footage that seemed from the Abuja scene revealed lifeless bodies resting on the ground as individuals shouted for assistance. A few of the injured have been treated and discharged while others continue to receive medical care, authorities stated.

The church canceled the charity drive with bags of rice and clothing items still organized within the facilities.

As the church held a wedding after the crowd was left, the agony and sadness stayed palpable even as families and good friends collected for wedding pictures.

Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu expressed his compassion with the victims' families and asked states and pertinent authorities to implement rigorous crowd control measures.

The recent stampedes in Nigeria have raised concerns about precaution in such occasions. Several children were killed on Wednesday today when a local structure organized a well-attended funfair to distribute gift items and food to kids in southwestern Oyo state.

After the most recent catastrophe, the police in Abuja announced that previous permission needs to be acquired before such charity drive are arranged.

The present economic hardship under Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who guaranteed "renewed 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 financial policies that have actually pushed the regional currency to record low versus the dollar.

Frustration over the cost-of-living crisis has caused mass protests in current months. In August, a minimum of 20 people were shot dead and hundreds of others were arrested at protests demanding better opportunities and jobs for young individuals.