UPDATE - Remains of man found after rare shark attack in Israel

REVISES HEADLINE, DECK, LEDE, ADDS DETAILS, BACKGROUND

By Rania Abu Shamala and Mohammad Sio

ISTANBUL (AA) - The remains of a man were discovered Tuesday off the coast of Hadera, Israel, nearly 24 hours after he was attacked by a shark in a rare incident that prompted an extensive search, Israeli media reported.

They were sent for forensic examination as the victim’s family rushed to the scene, the Yedioth Ahronoth daily said, citing the police.

The attack occurred Monday afternoon in waters off Olga Beach near the Orot Rabin power station, an area where swimming is prohibited due to the presence of dusky and sandbar sharks attracted by warm water discharged from the station, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Israeli police, alongside the Nature and Parks Authority, Fire and Rescue Service, military, medics and volunteers, launched a large-scale search operation Monday, which continued into Tuesday.

The man, a 40-year-old resident of Petah Tikva and a married father of four, was attacked while swimming in the restricted area.

According to The Times of Israel, several people on the beach captured video footage of the incident.

In one video, a man can be heard shouting: “Wow, wow, he’s with the shark, he’s fighting him...They’re eating him, eating the man…Can’t see him.”

One woman who called emergency services told dispatchers: “There’s someone here that a shark has bitten. He’s screaming ‘Help!’ He’s in the sea at Hadera. He’s drowning...Nobody’s coming to save him.”

Despite repeated warnings by environmental groups and officials, swimmers and divers have often ventured into this zone, with some even reportedly touching or feeding the sharks.

Shark attacks in Israel are exceedingly rare, with this incident marking only the fourth documented case in 80 years, according to Yedioth Ahronoth. Previous attacks occurred in 1946, 1974 and 2013.

The shores of Hadera, particularly near the Orot Rabin power station, have for years been known as a spot where sharks frequently appear, especially during the winter and spring.