The death toll from stampedes during two Christmas charity events in Nigeria has increased to 32, police said, with many of the victims collapsing during a crowd surge as people grew desperate for food items. 

The dead included 22 people in southeastern Anambra state’s Okija town, where a philanthropist organised food distribution, local police said. Ten others were also confirmed dead in the capital, Abuja, where a church organised a charity event to distribute food and clothing items.