Undefined Explosive Device (UED) event in Budapest area, Hungary on Mon 10th August 2026

A suspected World War II explosive device has disappeared from the receding Danube after a man reported finding it. The Budapest Police Headquarters (BRFK) asked the public for help in locating the object. 

In a statement published at police.hu on Monday, the BRFK asked anyone with information about the object or its whereabouts to contact police immediately via the national emergency number 112. The BRFK is investigating the case as part of criminal proceedings.

A man went in person to the 22nd District Police Department on Monday to report that he had found a rusty object resembling a projectile in the mud of the exposed riverbed near Nagytétényi Road and Tóth József Street. He also took photographs of the object.

Police officers immediately went to the scene, but the object was no longer there.

They were only able to identify the spot where it had been found. According to the information available, the object disappeared between the time it was reported and the arrival of the police. It is believed that someone may have taken it away.

Based on the photographs provided by the man, police said it could not be ruled out that the object was a World War II artillery shell. An expert has been appointed to examine the case, they added.

Police warned that anyone who has found or taken possession of the object must not move it, attempt to dismantle it or transport it under any circumstances. If it is indeed an explosive device, it could cause serious or even fatal injuries if triggered.

Explosive devices that have remained buried in the ground or submerged in water for decades can still be dangerous,

police stressed. Such objects may only be handled by qualified bomb-disposal experts.

The Budapest Police Headquarters has launched a criminal investigation on suspicion of the illegal possession or misuse of explosives or explosive devices.

Police also urged members of the public not to move, take away or, if possible, even touch objects that emerge from the bed of the Danube. If a discovered object appears dangerous, or there is reason to suspect that it may be an explosive device or piece of ammunition, people should keep a safe distance and report it to the emergency services by calling 112, the statement said.