A 43-year-old woman committed suicide by jumping into the sea from the Marine Drive promenade, even as hundreds of people present at the popular spot watched the incident unmoved, while some of them recorded it on their mobile phones.

The woman jumped into the sea at 7.30 pm on Monday during a high tide when the sea was choppy, a police official said on Tuesday.

The depth of Marine Drive's promenade relative to sea level varies along its length.

While the crowd stood still, a traffic police constable, Suresh Bhikaji Gosavi, jumped into the sea to rescue the woman, who remains unidentified.

Gosavi pulled her out of the water with the help of his associate and tried to administer CPR.

The woman had swallowed a lot of sea water. "After removing almost four litres of water from her stomach, she was rushed to a hospital where she died during treatment," the official added.

Police are trying to trace the family members of the deceased woman.

Constable Gosavi was felicitated with a Rs 5,000 reward for his daredevil act, the official said.