Mum dies after trying to rescue sons swept away at sea

A British woman has died in the Bahamas after trying to rescue her two sons when they were swept away while the family was snorkelling, the Royal Bahamas Police Force has said.

Officers on the island of Bimini have opened an investigation into the death, police said. The woman is believed to have come from Stapleford in Nottinghamshire, although police have not formally named her in the account reported by the BBC.

According to police, she was snorkelling with her husband and their two sons when the boys got into difficulty in the water. She went to help them, but was herself swept away, the force said.

The two boys were later brought safely out of the water. The woman was also rescued and taken to the ferry dock, where cardiopulmonary resuscitation was reportedly administered, police said.

Police said foul play was not suspected at this time. An autopsy will be carried out to help establish the exact cause of death, the force said.

A spokesperson for the UK Foreign Office said officials were thinking of the family of a British woman who had died in the Bahamas. The spokesperson added that the office was in contact with local authorities and was providing support to her family.

The BBC reported the case on Saturday, citing the Royal Bahamas Police Force statement posted on social media.