A five-year-old girl has died after being thrown from a bridge in Florida and a suspect believed to be her father has been arrested.

Rescuers attempted to resuscitate the girl after she was thrown into Tampa Bay, police said. She was taken to hospital and pronounced dead later.

St Petersburg police said in an earlier statement that an officer saw a person throw the girl into the water.

The officer was trying to carry out a traffic stop on a speeding vehicle at around midnight when they saw the driver stop on a bridge on the approach to the Sunshine Skyway and throw the girl off.

The driver, who police say is believed to be the girl's father, was apprehended and is being questioned.

No identities have yet been released.

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