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ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) - At least 13 people, including 4 children, were eliminated in 2 different stampedes in Nigeria as large crowds gathered to collect food and clothes items dispersed at annual Christmas occasions, the police said Saturday.

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

Ten people were eliminated in the first stampede in the early hours at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama, an upmarket part of the capital, Abuja, police spokesman Josephine Adeh stated in a declaration, including that more than 1,000 individuals have been left from the church.

There was a crowd rise at one of the church gates, as lots tried to go into the premises at around 4 a.m., hours before the gift products were to be shared, witnesses said, mentioning that some had been waiting considering that the previous night.

"The method they were hurrying 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 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 drive organized by a philanthropist, the state authorities stated.

"The occasion had not even begun when the rush started," cops representative Tochukwu Ikenga said. There could be more deaths recorded as officers examine the incident, he stated.

Viral footage that seemed from the Abuja scene showed lifeless bodies resting on the ground as people screamed for assistance. Some of the injured have actually been treated and released while others continue to get medical care, police stated.

The church canceled the fundraiser with bags of rice and clothing items still arranged within the properties.

As the church held a marriage ceremony after the crowd was evacuated, the pain and sadness remained palpable even as friends and families gathered for wedding event photos.

Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu expressed his compassion with the victims' households and asked states and pertinent authorities to enforce rigorous crowd control steps.

The recent stampedes in Nigeria have raised questions about precaution in such occasions. Several kids were killed on Wednesday this week when a regional foundation organized a well-attended funfair to present items and food to kids in southwestern Oyo state.

After the current disaster, the authorities in Abuja revealed that prior authorization must be obtained before such charity drive are organized.

The present economic challenge under Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who promised "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 government ´ s financial policies that have pressed the regional currency to tape-record low against the dollar.

Frustration over the cost-of-living crisis has resulted in mass demonstrations in recent months. In August, a minimum of 20 individuals were shot dead and hundreds of others were apprehended at protests demanding much better chances and tasks for youths.