ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) - A minimum of 13 individuals, including 4 kids, were killed in two different stampedes in Nigeria as large crowds collected to collect food and clothes products distributed at annual Christmas events, the cops said Saturday.
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The two accidents came days after another such stampede in Africa ´ s most populated country, amidst a growing pattern by regional organizations, churches and individuals to ahead of Christmas, as the country has problem with the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation.

Ten people were eliminated in the very first stampede in the early hours at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama, an upmarket part of the capital, Abuja, cops spokesperson Josephine Adeh stated in a declaration, including that more than 1,000 people have been left from the church.
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There was a crowd surge at one of the church gates, as lots tried to enter the properties at around 4 a.m., hours before the present items were to be shared, witnesses stated, explaining that some had been waiting since the previous night.

"The method they were hurrying to enter, some individuals were falling and a few of them were old," Loveth Inyang, a witness. Inyang said he handled to save one child as his mother struggled in the rise.

Three people died in a comparable crush later on in the southeastern Anambra state's Okija town at a fundraiser organized by a benefactor, the state police stated.
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"The occasion had actually not even started when the rush started," authorities representative Tochukwu Ikenga said. There could be more deaths recorded as officers examine the occurrence, he stated.

Viral video that seemed from the Abuja scene showed lifeless bodies pushing the ground as individuals yelled for assistance. Some of the hurt have been treated and discharged while others continue to receive medical care, authorities said.

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

As the church held a wedding after the crowd was evacuated, the agony and unhappiness remained palpable even as families and buddies collected for wedding event pictures.

Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu expressed his compassion with the victims' households and asked states and appropriate authorities to impose stringent crowd control steps.

The current stampedes in Nigeria have actually raised questions about precaution in such events. Several children were eliminated on Wednesday this week when a local structure arranged a well-attended funfair to distribute gift items and food to kids in southwestern Oyo state.

After the most recent catastrophe, the authorities in Abuja revealed that prior authorization needs to be acquired before such charity drive are arranged.

The existing economic hardship under Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who guaranteed "renewed hope" when he was sworn into office in May 2023, is blamed on rising inflation that is at a 28-year high and the government ´ s financial policies that have actually pushed the regional currency to tape-record low against the dollar.

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