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ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) - A minimum of 13 people, including 4 kids, were eliminated in two different stampedes in Nigeria as big crowds gathered to gather food and clothes items distributed at yearly Christmas occasions, the cops said Saturday.
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The two mishaps came days after another such stampede in Africa ´ s most populous nation, amid a growing trend by local organizations, churches and individuals to organize charity drive ahead of Christmas, as the nation fights with the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation.
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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 representative Josephine Adeh said in a statement, including that more than 1,000 people have been left from the church.
There was a crowd rise at one of the church gates, as dozens tried to get in the properties at around 4 a.m., hours before the gift products were to be shared, witnesses stated, mentioning that some had been waiting considering that the previous night.
"The way they were hurrying to enter, some individuals were falling and some of them were old," Loveth Inyang, a witness. Inyang said he handled to rescue one infant as his mother had a hard time in the rise.
Three people died in a similar crush later in the southeastern Anambra state's Okija town at a charity event arranged by a benefactor, the state police stated.
"The occasion had not even begun when the rush began," cops Ikenga said. There could be more deaths recorded as officers investigate the incident, he stated.
Viral footage that appeared to be from the Abuja scene revealed lifeless bodies lying on the ground as individuals yelled for assistance. Some of the injured have actually been treated and discharged while others continue to get healthcare, cops stated.
The church canceled the charity event with bags of rice and clothes products still set up within the premises.
As the church held a wedding after the crowd was left, the agony and unhappiness remained palpable even as households and friends gathered for wedding pictures.
Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu expressed his sympathy with the victims' households and asked states and appropriate authorities to enforce rigorous crowd control steps.
The recent stampedes in Nigeria have raised questions about precaution in such events. Several children were eliminated on Wednesday today when a local structure arranged a well-attended funfair to distribute present products and food to kids in southwestern Oyo state.
After the current catastrophe, the authorities in Abuja announced that previous consent needs to be obtained before such fundraiser are arranged.
The current economic hardship under Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who assured "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 economic policies that have pushed the local currency to record low versus the dollar.
Frustration over the cost-of-living crisis has actually resulted in mass demonstrations in current months. In August, at least 20 individuals were shot dead and hundreds of others were detained at protests requiring better chances and jobs for youths.