Royal Bahamas Police Investigate Death of British Woman Swept From Sons

A British woman, 36, died in the Bahamas on Tuesday after a strong current swept her two sons away during a snorkelling trip near North Bimini. The Royal Bahamas police force has opened an investigation into her death.

Police said the woman had been snorkelling with her husband and their two sons near the southern point of North Bimini. A strong current carried both boys off, and police said that while trying to reach them, "the woman was also swept away." The children were later rescued from the water.

Officers at the Alice Town police station were alerted shortly after 10am that a woman was unresponsive at the North Bimini ferry dock. By the time police arrived, she had been moved to the local clinic. A doctor there pronounced her dead despite efforts to save her. Police said she was pulled from the water and taken to the ferry dock, where CPR was administered. "Foul play is not suspected at this time," the force said in a statement posted on social media. An autopsy will be carried out to establish the exact cause of death.

The UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said it is aware of the case. A spokesperson said: "Our thoughts are with the family of a British woman who has died in the Bahamas." The spokesperson said officials are in contact with local authorities and providing support to her family.

Bimini is a small island group lying between Andros, the largest landmass in the Bahamas, and Miami in the United States. It is the closest point in the Bahamas to the US mainland. The islands were once home to Ernest Hemingway and host a shark research centre.