A swimmer is missing following an extremely rare shark attack off the coast of northern Israel on Monday.

It happened in the sea at Hadera, about 40km (25 miles) north of Tel Aviv.

The incident was witnessed by people on Olga Beach, who can be heard yelling in shock in footage posted on social media.

Sharks are known to gather there where warm water is discharged by a local power plant, and especially at this time of year, but they are usually harmless.

There have been no recorded fatal shark attacks in waters off Israel since the country was founded in 1948.

Police have closed the beach and a search is under way for the missing man.

In video shared online, a man can be seen at a distance of what appears to be a few hundred feet out to sea. He is seen flailing around as people on the beach shout that he is being attacked.

“I was in the water, I saw blood and there were screams,” a witness, Eliya Motai, told Ynet news site.

“I was a few meters from shore,” he said. “It’s terrifying. We were here yesterday and saw the sharks circling us.”

Dusky and sandbar sharks are known to cluster in the area, which is dominated by the Orot Rabin power station, the largest in Israel.

They are attracted by the water warmed up by the plant and by fish which are carried down there from a nearby stream.

Monday’s incident is only the fourth documented shark attack in Israel’s history, according to YNet.