Beachgoers who witnessed a horrific shark attack have said they are ‘not surprised’ after seeing fins circling swimmers for hours beforehand.
Human remains believed to belong to a missing diver were discovered today after a rare shark attack unfolded off the coast of Hadera, north-west Israel on Monday. Footage said to be of the incident was shared online in the aftermath, showing a person thrashing around in the sea before the water around them turns a dark red colour. Eyewitnesses on shore are heard shouting and screaming in horror. Now, some of people who were on the beach at the time have said they saw the sharks in the water hours before the attack unfolded – and claimed that local fishermen hurting the sea creatures could have tempted them closer to shore.
One eyewitness told Y Net News: “It’s no wonder they attacked. There are fishermen here all the time and their hooks injure the sharks, causing them to bleed. That’s why they went after people.”
Another witness told Israeli media that they were walking down to the beach when they heard a man in the sea shouting “I’m bitten, I’m bitten” and waving his hands in the air. He “disappeared” under the waves a few minutes later, they added.
Police today began work to confirm whether human remains found in the sea belonged to the missing man, reported to be a 40-year-old father of four.
Deputy Fire Chief Doron Almashali said: “After a day and a half of intensive effort, we have found what appears to be part of the missing person. Naturally, these findings must undergo thorough examinations by the Israel Police and the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute.
“We will continue working to confirm that we have indeed found the missing individual. We conducted our search pattern based on careful analysis of underwater currents, and it was precisely in that area where the remains were discovered.
While some local people have blamed fishing practices for the sharks coming closer to the beach, another theory surrounds the local power station. Sandbar and dusky sharks have reportedly been sighted around this site for decades, which has an outflow that releases hot water from turbines into the Hadera river.
On Monday, the Society for the Protection of Nature charity claimed it had called on Israeli government four years ago to restrict human activity around the stretch of coast next to the power station, with large numbers spotted int he area between October and May.
It said in a statement: “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.”
It is not known which type of shark species attacked the diver. Shark attacks are very rare in Israel, with no recorded fatalities since the state was founded in the 1940s.
Other than an incident in 2013 involving a shark trapped inside a fish cage attacking fishermen, the last recorded shark attack came when the region was under British Mandate, when a police officer was injured off the coast of Tel Aviv.
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