BIATORBÁGY — 1931 · Major Tragedy
Biatorbágy Viaduct Train Bombing
On the night of 13 September 1931, as the Budapest-Vienna express crossed the Biatorbágy viaduct, an explosive placed on the track detonated and carriages fell from the viaduct. Twenty-two people were killed and more than 100 injured. The perpetrator posed as one of the passengers and claimed compensation from the railway company, but inconsistencies in his account drew police attention. The Hungarian engineer was arrested in Vienna on 10 October 1931; he was first tried in Austria for failed attack attempts there and then extradited to Hungary. The death sentence imposed by the Hungarian court was commuted to life imprisonment under the agreement with Austria. He got out of prison amid the chaos at the end of the war in 1945 and his trace was lost.
- Date
- 1931
- Place
- Pest, Hungary, Biatorbágy, HU
- Category
- Major Tragedy
- Case Status
- Solved
- Coordinates
- 47.4700, 18.8200 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 13 September 1931The Budapest-Vienna express was derailed by a blast on the Biatorbágy viaduct; 22 died.
- September 1931The perpetrator posed as a passenger and claimed compensation.
- 10 October 1931He was arrested in Vienna.
- Following periodHe was tried in Austria for failed attack attempts and then extradited to Hungary.
- 1930sHis Hungarian death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.
- 1945He got out of prison amid the chaos at the end of the war and disappeared.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Szilveszter Matuska en.wikipedia.org ↗
- Biatorbágy — Biatorbágyi merénylet biatorbagy.hu ↗
- Wikipédia (HU) — Biatorbágyi merénylet hu.wikipedia.org ↗
- Wikipedia
- Municipality of Biatorbágy
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.