Chilling parallels: Two young men vanish in Budapest 13 years apart

Two young men disappeared in Budapest under eerily similar circumstances, more than a decade apart. The cases of British medical student Daniel Gliksten, who went missing in 2013, and Egressy Mátyás, who vanished earlier this week, share striking commonalities: the same nightclub, the same bridge, and the same river.

From Ötkert to the Chain Bridge

Egressy Mátyás disappeared in the early hours of Saturday. He had been at a central Budapest nightclub called Ötkert before leaving. CCTV footage shows him wandering through several parts of Budapest, seemingly without direction. His last known location was the Chain Bridge, where he disappeared, leaving behind only a keyring.

According to his family, it is highly likely that he fell into the Danube. A camera on a passing boat did capture something falling into the river, but the footage is too unclear to confirm who it was or under what circumstances they entered the water. Police continue to list Mátyás as missing.

If you missed it:

• Disappeared Hungarian teenager may have plunged into the Danube from the Chain Bridge
• Mysteries mount in hunt for vanished Budapest teen

The tragic case of a British student in 2013

The story may remind many of Daniel Gliksten, who vanished in Budapest on New Year’s Eve 2013. Daniel came from a well-to-do British family and was studying medicine at Semmelweis University.

The night before his disappearance, he had been out with friends at Ötkert. Suddenly, he left his table without his coat and walked off alone. CCTV last captured him at the Pest end of the Chain Bridge. After that, there was no trace of him for months.

His body was found months later

Daniel Gliksten’s body was eventually discovered in spring 2014 in a side branch of the Danube, trapped among debris and driftwood. It was found by a fisheries officer, Gyula, along with Daniel’s father, between Tass and Rácalmás, according to Blikk.

His clothing—a white pair of trousers and a red top—made it immediately clear that it was the missing British student. The fisheries officers explained that the river’s current plays a decisive role in whether a missing person is ever found.

“The Danube does not give back its victims”

Gyula’s father, who has been involved in fishing for over four decades, believes the river only “returns” its victims if the body gets caught somewhere. Had Daniel remained in the main current, it is possible he would never have been found—or might have turned up much later, possibly abroad.

British authorities also investigated Daniel’s death. A coroner in Suffolk examined the body and ruled the cause of death as drowning. However, the circumstances surrounding how he ended up in the river remain unknown and, according to experts, will likely never be determined.

Two families, the same pain

Daniel Gliksten’s mother has never spoken publicly about her son’s death. The family, based in England, owned substantial estates and a business that supplied premium ingredients to London’s top restaurants. Daniel’s father, a former director at Charlton Athletic FC, passed away years before his son disappeared.

Egressy Mátyás’s family now faces a similar uncertainty and grief. While the search is officially ongoing, relatives say they are already preparing for the worst.