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ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) - At least 13 individuals, including 4 kids, were killed in two different stampedes in Nigeria as large crowds gathered to collect food and clothes products dispersed at yearly Christmas events, the police said Saturday.
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The 2 mishaps came days after another such stampede in Africa ´ s most populous country, amid a growing pattern by local organizations, churches and people to organize fundraiser ahead of Christmas, as the nation has problem with the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation.
Ten individuals 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, authorities representative Josephine in a statement, 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 properties at around 4 a.m., hours before the gift items were to be shared, witnesses said, explaining that some had been waiting because the previous night.
"The way they were rushing to go into, some individuals were falling and a few of them were old," Loveth Inyang, a witness. Inyang said he managed to save one child as his mother had a hard time in the rise.
Three people died in a comparable crush later on in the southeastern Anambra state's Okija town at a charity drive organized by a benefactor, the state cops stated.
"The event had actually not even begun when the rush began," cops representative Tochukwu Ikenga said. There could be more deaths recorded as officers investigate the incident, he stated.
Viral video that seemed from the Abuja scene revealed lifeless bodies lying on the ground as individuals screamed for aid. A few of the hurt have actually been dealt with and discharged while others continue to get medical care, authorities said.
The church canceled the fundraiser with bags of rice and clothes products still set up within the facilities.
As the church held a marriage event after the crowd was evacuated, the misery and sadness remained palpable even as households and friends collected for wedding pictures.
Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu expressed his sympathy with the victims' households and asked states and relevant authorities to enforce rigorous crowd control procedures.
The current stampedes in Nigeria have actually raised concerns about precaution in such occasions. Several kids were eliminated on Wednesday this week when a regional foundation arranged a well-attended funfair to distribute present products and food to kids in southwestern Oyo state.
After the latest disaster, the authorities in Abuja announced that previous permission must be obtained before such charity events are arranged.
The present economic difficulty under Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who promised "restored 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 actually pushed the local currency to record low against the dollar.
Frustration over the cost-of-living crisis has actually caused mass protests in current months. In August, a minimum of 20 individuals were shot dead and hundreds of others were apprehended at protests demanding better opportunities and tasks for young people.
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