Alligator kills jogger in Florida

Alligators can be very aggressive when hungry, experts say

An alligator killed a woman whose dismembered body was found floating in a canal in Florida, a US medical examiner has concluded.

The body of Yovy Suarez Jimenez, 28, was found in the town of Sunrise on Wednesday - a day after she disappeared while jogging near the canal.

"The alligator attacked her... bit her... and pulled her into the water," medical examiner Dr Joshua Perper said.

A hunt was under way to find and kill the reptile, local officials said.

Dr Perper - who performed the autopsy - said that the alligator "basically amputated" the woman's arms, and bit her on the leg and back.

It is my professional opinion that the alligator attacked the woman while she was on land Dr Joshua Perper

"She died extremely fast. By the time she was pulled into the water she was already dead," the medical examiner at Broward County said.

No-one is believed to have seen the attack, but some people saw a woman matching Ms Jimenez's description dangling her feet over the canal's edge, reports in the local media say.

The alligator is estimated to be up to 10ft (three metres) long, based on the woman's injuries.

There have been 25 fatal alligator attacks in Florida since 1948, according to Florida's wildlife officials.