A diver is missing and feared dead after being mauled by a shark in Israel. 

Footage posted on social media shows a diver flailing in the water off the coast of Hadera on Monday.

Other footage showed beach-goers, including children, standing in the water and marvelling at sharks as they swam around their legs just moments before the diver was attacked.

Horror video of the incident then showed the diver further out at sea thrashing around during the bloody attack as the water quickly turned red. 

An eyewitness told Channel 12 News: ‘I saw the diver in the depths of the water, he shouted, ‘I’m bitten, I’m bitten’ and waved his hands in the air. After a few minutes, sharks bit him – and suddenly he disappeared.’ 

Shark attacks in the Mediterranean are extremely rare, with 50 recorded since 1900, and only 11 fatal.

The Hadera Municipality Coastal Department said it was ‘conducting searches by jet ski to locate the diver and will continue to update as developments occur. 

‘We urge the public traveling in the area to avoid entering the water and contact with the sharks,’ it added.

A shark was seen swimming close to the shore at Olga Beach, Israel, before a diver was mauled

A shark was seen swimming close to the shore at Olga Beach, Israel, before a diver was mauled 

Footage captured the diver thrashing around in the water as the shark attacked them

Footage captured the diver thrashing around in the water as the shark attacked them

Children were seen standing in the water as sharks swam around their legs

Children were seen standing in the water as sharks swam around their legs

A call was received by Magen David Adom’s 101 dispatch center in the Sharon region at around 3:02pm to an incident at Olga Beach. 

Police and rescue workers have been deployed to the scene, with the police saying in a statement that no casualties had yet been located. 

Israel Police said: ‘A short time ago, officers from the Hadera Police Station and the Maritime Police were dispatched to the Hadera stream following reports from citizens who claimed they saw a shark attacking a diver in the water. 

‘Forces are en route, but no casualties have been located so far.’

Footage uploaded to social media has also shown helicopters scanning the waters for the missing diver. 

Following the incident, the police have closed the beach to swimmers until further notice.

The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel has reacted to the shark attack by saying it called on the state four years ago to regulate behaviour in waters sharks visit.

Footage uploaded to social media has also shown helicopters scanning the waters for the missing diver

Footage uploaded to social media has also shown helicopters scanning the waters for the missing diver

The Hadera Municipality Coastal Department said it was 'conducting searches by jet ski to locate the diver and will continue to update as developments occur

The Hadera Municipality Coastal Department said it was ‘conducting searches by jet ski to locate the diver and will continue to update as developments occur 

It said: ‘Every winter, a unique phenomenon occurs in Israel in which sharks and rays gather at the outlet of the warm waters of the power stations.

‘In the case of such a fascinating and public-attracting phenomenon, it would be appropriate to take conservation and safety measures for the public, but over the years, chaos has developed in the area.’

The report comes just days after two female dusky sharks – a species considered harmless to humans – were spotted swimming off the coast of Beit, close to Hadera.

‘I suddenly noticed two shadows in the water,’ Yehuda Zimbris, who filmed the Beit Yanai encounter, told Ynet. 

‘I started recording and saw they were sharks. They got within 164 to 328ft of the shoreline, which caused panic among swimmers. 

‘Still, some tried to approach them despite the lifeguard’s clear orders to get out of the water. The sharks moved from south to north, did a sort of “dance”, and eventually disappeared.’

It comes after a tourist was killed in a shark attack at a popular Red Sea holiday resort in Egypt in December.

The injured man was taken to hospital in Port Ghalib, around 30 miles north of Marsa Alam, the Egyptian ministry said at the time.

The ministry said the attack occurred in deep water outside the designated swimming zone near the jetties in northern Marsa Alam, adding that swimming out from the jetties was prohibited and the jetties would be closed for two days.

This is a breaking news story. More to follow. 

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