An American woman on holiday in the Bahamas has been killed by sharks.

Jordan Lindsay, from Torrance, South Carolina, was attacked by three sharks near Rose Island while snorkelling with her family, said Royal Bahamas Police Force Deputy Commissioner Paul Roll.

KABC-TV said the 21-year-old's parents and other family members saw the sharks and yelled a warning but she did not hear them in time.

Officials said her arms, legs and buttocks were bitten and her right arm was severed.

She was pronounced dead in hospital.

The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation issued a statement expressing its condolences and "deepest sympathies" to the family.

Online Editors