Two children have been injured in apparent shark attacks in New York state in the US.

The incidents happened on Wednesday in towns along the bay of Fire Island.

Officials said that, if confirmed, they'd mark the first shark attacks in the state in around 70 years.

In the first incident, a 13-year-old boy was bitten while boogie boarding in the ocean near the town of Islip.

Separately, a 12-year-old girl was reportedly bitten in the town of Brookhaven while standing in the water.

The injured girl, Lola Pollina, later spoke to local media, saying: "The water was cold, so I didn't really feel anything.

"Then I saw something next to me, and I felt pain. I saw a fin, kind of... I don't know to describe it."

After running to her mother, she noticed that "my leg was all bloody".

It was not immediately confirmed that sharks were responsible, and investigators have been working to establish more details.

'Shark bite'

Officials said both children were doing well and in 'good spirits' following the apparent attacks.

Islip Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter explained: "Both of these kids, thank god, are OK.

"We're seeing this as an opportunity to remind everyone that the water is beautiful, it is magnificent on the south shore of Long Island... but the water can be treacherous."

In the incident in Islip, lifeguards treated the boy before medics arrived.

Chief lifeguard Craig Amarando, one of those on duty, said: "[Medics] came and they took our dressings off, because they wanted to see the wounds.

"That's when they confirmed not only was it a shark bite, but they found one of the teeth still inside the boy."

Local beaches were temporarily closed in the wake of the apparent attacks, but reopened on Thursday with extra lifeguards deployed.