13 People Including Children Die in Stampedes In Nigeria At

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) – A minimum of 13 people, including four children, were killed in two separate stampedes in Nigeria as big crowds collected to collect food and clothes items dispersed at annual Christmas occasions, the authorities stated Saturday.

The 2 accidents came days after another such stampede in Africa ´ s most populated nation, amid a growing trend by regional organizations, churches and people to organize charity occasions ahead of Christmas, as the country has a hard time with the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation.

Ten people 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, authorities spokesman Josephine Adeh said in a statement, including that more than 1,000 people have actually been left from the church.

There was a crowd surge at one of the church gates, as dozens attempted to enter the properties at around 4 a.m., hours before the gift products were to be shared, witnesses said, mentioning that some had been waiting given that the previous night.

“The method they were hurrying to enter, some people were falling and some of them were old,” Loveth Inyang, a witness. Inyang said he managed to save one baby as his mother had a hard time in the surge.

Three people died in a comparable crush later 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 started,” cops representative Tochukwu Ikenga stated. There could be more deaths recorded as officers investigate the incident, he stated.

Viral footage that seemed from the Abuja scene revealed lifeless bodies lying on the ground as individuals screamed for assistance. Some of the injured have been treated and discharged while others continue to receive treatment, authorities stated.

The church canceled the charity occasion with bags of rice and clothes items still arranged within the premises.

As the church held a after the crowd was evacuated, the pain and unhappiness remained palpable even as friends and families collected for wedding images.

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

The current stampedes in Nigeria have actually raised questions about safety procedures in such events. Several children were eliminated on Wednesday today when a regional foundation organized a well-attended funfair to disperse gift items and food to kids in southwestern Oyo state.

After the current disaster, the authorities in Abuja revealed that prior permission needs to be obtained before such charity occasions are arranged.

The present economic hardship under Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who guaranteed “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 federal government ´ s financial policies that have pushed 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, at least 20 individuals were shot dead and hundreds of others were detained at demonstrations demanding much better chances and jobs for youths.