A shark was filmed swimming among terrified small children on an Israeli beach before an attack on a diver who is missing and feared dead.

In what could be the first fatal shark attack in the country’s history, graphic footage showed the sea turning red around a man as he shouted, “I’m bitten, I’m bitten”.

The attack happened on Monday, just after the animal was filmed swimming in shallow water between a group of young children who appeared frozen in terror.

The beach at Hadera, north of Tel Aviv, remained shut on Tuesday as the search for the missing man, who has not been identified, continued into its second day.

It came as police said they had sent “findings” for forensic analysis as part of their search.

The incident is only the third recorded shark attack in Israel. One person was killed in the 1940s, but before the country was founded in 1948.

The stretch of coastline has, however, been well known for close encounters between sharks and beachgoers, who sometimes seek them out.