ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) - At least 13 people, including four kids, were killed in 2 different stampedes in Nigeria as large crowds gathered to collect food and clothes items distributed at yearly Christmas occasions, the cops stated Saturday.

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

Ten individuals 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, cops spokesman Josephine Adeh stated in a statement, including that more than 1,000 individuals have been evacuated from the church.

There was a crowd rise at one of the church gates, as lots attempted to go into the premises at around 4 a.m., hours before the present products were to be shared, witnesses stated, explaining that some had been waiting given that 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 stated he managed to rescue one baby as his mother had a hard time in the rise.

Three individuals died in a comparable crush later in the southeastern Anambra state's Okija town at a fundraiser organized by a benefactor, the state authorities stated.

"The occasion had not even started when the rush started," cops spokesman Tochukwu Ikenga stated. There might be more deaths taped as officers examine the event, he said.

Viral video 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 been dealt with and released while others continue to get medical care, police stated.

The church canceled the fundraiser with bags of rice and clothes products still arranged within the premises.

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

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

The recent stampedes in Nigeria have actually raised questions about security steps in such events. Several children were killed on Wednesday this week when a regional foundation arranged a well-attended funfair to distribute present items and food to kids in southwestern Oyo state.

After the current catastrophe, the authorities in Abuja announced that previous permission needs to be gotten before such charity drive are arranged.

The present economic challenge under Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who guaranteed "restored hope" when he was sworn into workplace in May 2023, is blamed on surging inflation that is at a 28-year high and the federal government ´ s economic policies that have pushed the local currency to tape-record low versus the dollar.

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