A British woman has drowned in the Bahamas while trying to save her two children who were swept out to sea. 

The 36-year-old was on a snorkelling expedition in the south of the island with her husband and boys when the current carried them away. 

According to local reports, she entered the water in a bid to save them. 

She was pulled from the water when bystanders performed CPR.

Alice Town police said they were told shortly after 10am on Wednesday that the mother was found unresponsive at the ferry dock in Bimini. 

But the woman had already been rushed for treatment when officers arrived. Doctors at the clinic later pronounced her dead. 

The family were on a snorkelling expedition in Bimini, the Bahamas, when the tragedy unfolded

A post-mortem examination will now take place to determine the cause of her death. 

Linty Stuart, owner of L&A Water Taxi, told ZNS that he was captaining the boat when people on board the vessel alerted him to the incident. 

He said he ‘saw two boys and a mum’ in the water and that bystanders were able to pull the two boys from the water but the strong currents made it difficult to reach the mother. 

Mr Stuart then tried to turn the boat around to the ‘calm section’ of the water when he spotted the 36-year-old ‘face down’. 

ZNS reports that ‘one of her children reportedly got into distress’ when she jumped in to save him. 

The Foreign Office has been approached for comment. 

This is a breaking news story. More to follow.