Woman badly injured after being attacked by a large alligator in Florida

The alligator was trapped and killed, and an autopsy revealed it had a human body part in its stomach

A woman who fell into a canal in Florida suffered severe injuries after being bitten several times by an 3.3m alligator.

The woman in her 50s had reportedly been sleeping under a bridge when she fell into the Salt Creek waterway St Petersburg around 6am on Monday, and was bitten on her arm, hands and leg.

A passer-by heard the woman’s screams and called 911.

Police and firefighters arrived soon afterwards and were concerned the animal might attack again, 10 Tampa Bay reported.

Police stood by with their guns drawn as firefighters worked to pull the woman from the water.

“It took an extra 5-10 minutes to get to where we could reach her and get her out and extricate her safely,” St Petersburg Fire Rescue Lieutenant Steven Lawrence told 10 Tampa Bay.

Police said she was rushed to hospital where she was in a stable condition, Fox 13 Tampa reported.

Florida state wildlife officials called in a trapper who removed and killed the alligator a few hours later.

Mr Lawrence told 10 Tampa Bay a human body part was found inside the alligator during an autopsy.

Authorities say the alligator measured 3.3m (10 feet, 11 inches) long.

A local business owner said alligators were frequently spotted in the area.