British mother dies trying to rescue sons during Bahamas snorkelling trip

A British woman has died after trying to rescue her two sons when a strong current reportedly swept them away during a snorkelling trip in the Bahamas. The 36-year-old mother was also carried away by the current, according to a preliminary account from the Royal Bahamas Police Force. Both children were subsequently rescued.

Police said the incident happened on Tuesday near the southern point of North Bimini, where the woman had been snorkelling with her husband and their sons. Investigators believe the children were caught by the current before their mother attempted to help them. The account remains preliminary as officers examine the circumstances of her death.

Officers at Alice Town police station were notified shortly after 10am that a woman was unresponsive at the North Bimini ferry dock, according to the police statement reported by Sky News. She had been brought ashore after being recovered from the water. CPR was reportedly administered at the dock before she was taken for medical treatment.

The woman was transported to a local clinic, where a doctor pronounced her dead despite efforts to save her. The reported sequence places the emergency response first at the ferry dock and then at the clinic. Police have not yet established the exact medical cause of death and said an autopsy would be conducted to help determine it.

The children’s rescue meant both boys survived the incident in which their mother died. The initial account did not provide details about their ages, their condition after being brought out of the water or who rescued them. It also did not explain how the woman was recovered or describe her husband’s role during the emergency.

Police said they did not suspect foul play at this stage of the investigation. That assessment is separate from the outstanding question of the precise cause of death, which remains subject to the planned post-mortem examination. The force’s description of a strong current sweeping away the children and their mother was presented as preliminary information, rather than a completed finding.

Britain’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said it was supporting the woman’s family and was in contact with local authorities. A spokesperson expressed sympathy following the death. The consular response is taking place alongside the Bahamian investigation, with local police responsible for examining the circumstances described in their initial statement.

The next formal step identified by police is the autopsy, which is intended to clarify why the woman died after being pulled from the water. No findings from that examination were included in the initial reporting. Until further information is released, the police account remains that she was swept away while attempting to reach her sons.