Swimmer bitten by shark off the coast of Hadera, goes missing

 

An Israeli swimmer was reportedly bitten by a shark at Olga Beach near Hadera, Israeli media reported on Monday.

The wounded swimmer has reportedly still not been located. According to the Nature and Parks Authority, the attack occurred in an area where swimming is prohibited.

Magen David Adom medics, police officers, and Nature and Parks Authority inspectors were dispatched to the scene and are searching the area.

Rescue forces searching for the citizen wounded from a shark attack in Hadera (credit: Shai Cabasa/Israel Nature and Parks Authority)

Witnesses at the beach said they saw blood in the water and said that they saw someone screaming for help.

An MDA paramedic told Maariv, "So far, nothing has been found; the search continues." Shortly after, a Ynet report said that equipment possibly belonging to the victim was found, including a bicycle and a bag.

Israel Police announced the closure of the beach to the public due to the attack until further notice, and that the incident has been handled by the authorities.

"A short time ago, police officers from the Hadera station were dispatched following a report from citizens who claimed to have seen a shark attacking a diver in the water. We will continue to update according to developments. We call on the public traveling in the area to avoid entering the water and coming into contact with the sharks."The Hadera Municipality's Coastal Division also reported that they are conducting searches to locate the diver.

Dusky shark found dead on the beach in Hadera (credit: Ilya Baskin)

Shark incident in Hadera was "a rare event"

Sharks, which are found in the area every winter, "have apparently reached the Caesarea and Hadera areas following a fish mortality event at the mouth of the Nahal Alexander River," said Itamar Avishai, Scientific Director of the Israeli non-profit organization EcoOcean. Several sharks were also seen by the river during Passover.

"It is important to note that such a case, as happened in Hadera, is rare, even on a global scale. Sharks are not aggressive towards humans; there is really no reason to be afraid of them, but it is important to remember that this is a wild animal in its natural environment, and provoking a shark may cause it to defend itself.

"In general, there is no reason for a shark to attack you, unless you approach it, grab its tail or fins, or disturb it in some way - as we have seen happen in recent days. A shark is a large animal that you should not approach."In January, a finless shark washed up dead on the beach in Hadera. At that time, inspectors from the Nature and Parks Authority arrived on the scene and collected the shark for an autopsy.

In February, a pregnant female shark was found washed ashore at Olga Beach. Four fetuses were removed from her body and brought to a seawater tank for confirmation, but attempts to save them were unsuccessful.

Four dusky shark embryos found dead inside their mother (credit: Erez Erlichman/INPA)

The circumstances of her death were unclear. Since December, three sharks have washed ashore, with two of them pregnant.