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An American teenager has been attacked by a crocodile while on holiday in Mexico.

Kiana Hummel, 18, was on the hotel beach at night in Puerto Vallarta when the creature surfaced and grabbed her.

She told Good Morning America she was sitting on the sand with her friend when the 3.5 metre croc pulled her into the water.

READ MORE: Teenage boy eaten by crocodile just days after similar incident

"I felt like a really heaviness on my leg. And that heaviness ended up being the crocodile. And, all of a sudden I'm getting dragged into the water.

"And, I just started hitting it as hard as I could and then it just kept taking me under the water," she said.

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She said people nearby including a worker at Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa, jumped into help her.

They managed to free her eventually- but she claimed it took four hours for medical help to arrive.

She is now back in California and has has surgery for muscle and tissue damage.

READ MORE: 'I was beating it on its snout': British woman saves sister from crocodile

A person who said they helped, later wrote on hotel review page, TripAdvisor; "I will never forget the young lady's screams in horror as long as I live.

"She only survived because there were other people on the beach who jumped in to beat the crocodile until it released her," they added.

The teen's mother, Ariana Martinez said her daughter phoned her screaming after the attack.

On a fundraising page, she said she was "blessed" to still have her daughter.

"To all who know my amazing warrior child, I'm am truly grateful to have her alive and have a second chance at life," Ms Martinez wrote.

"Please love your family and kids, hug them, kiss them and tell them how much you love them always. I'm blessed to have my daughter with me."

The family said the hotel should have done more to warn guests.

"They need to be responsible for what happened," Ms Hummel said.

However the hotel has said there are signs and red flags on the beach and night patrols in place.

It said: "The safety and security of our guests and associates is top priority."

READ MORE: British woman fighting for life after her twin battles crocodile

Good Morning America reported the beach has now been fenced off, with signs telling people there's no entry at night.

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The first person in Western Australia has died under the recently enacted voluntary assisted dying laws.

The unnamed person's death was confirmed in a Facebook post from Premier Mark McGowan.

"We passed these laws so terminally ill Western Australians, who are suffering, could have the compassionate choice to end their lives with dignity," Mr McGowan said.

READ MORE: NSW records 239 new COVID-19 cases, new rules for high-risk LGAs

"I can only imagine what an emotional time it must have been for the person involved and their loved ones."

The person has not been identified. Mr McGowan called on people to respect the privacy of their unnamed family.

"Death is a difficult issue, and we don't like thinking about what the end of our lives may look like," he said.

"I am sure many will find comfort in the fact these laws mean neither they nor their loved ones will be forced to suffer needlessly at the end of their lives.

"That is why so many Western Australians fought so hard for so long to bring about these laws, and why the WA community supported them so emphatically."

READ MORE: South Australia legalises voluntary assisted dying

Voluntary assisted dying laws passed Western Australian parliament in December 2019, but only came into effect at the start of this month.

A person must be terminally ill with an intolerably painful condition to be eligible.