BRITISH STUDENT, 23, VANISHES AFTER LISBON PARTY BOAT — MARITIME POLICE SEARCH RIVER AS SISTER FEARS HE WAS TAKEN

A 23-year-old British university student has vanished after attending a late-night boat party in Lisbon — and his family is now desperately searching for answers as Portuguese authorities investigate his disappearance.

Julian Amaral, from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, disappeared during a family holiday in Portugal after attending the Vida De Jovem white party on a boat cruising the Tagus River.

What happened in the minutes after he left his cousin remains unclear.

And now, as the search enters a critical stage, Portuguese Maritime Police are reportedly searching along the Tagus for any sign of the missing student.

THE LAST MOMENTS BEFORE JULIAN DISAPPEARED

Julian had boarded the party boat with his 24-year-old cousin.

The event, known as Vida De Jovem, featured music and an all-white dress code.

At around 11:25 p.m., Julian reportedly told his cousin he was going to the toilet.

He headed downstairs toward a basement urinal.

But he never returned.

His cousin was initially busy socialising and did not immediately realise how long Julian had been gone.

Then the boat began approaching the dock.

That was when the alarm was raised.

Julian was nowhere to be found.

His family quickly began searching the area around the dock, checking bars, nightclubs, restaurants and nearby streets.

After roughly an hour, police were contacted.

THEN CAME THE PHONE CLUE

One of the strangest details in the case involves Julian’s phone.

His location reportedly froze at almost exactly the time he told his cousin he was going to the toilet.

The location was said to show him in the middle of the ocean.

However, the significance and accuracy of that location remain unclear.

The phone was later switched off, leaving investigators and relatives with very little digital information about where Julian may have gone.

WITNESSES SAY THEY SAW HIM LEAVE

The mystery deepened when witnesses reportedly told the family that they had seen Julian get off the boat.

Two security guards were among those said to have seen him disembark.

Another witness reportedly contacted Julian’s sister and said she had spoken with him and also saw him leave the vessel.

Police searched the boat but found no trace of him.

Portuguese authorities also contacted nearby hospitals as part of the investigation.

That has left the family facing a terrifying question:

If Julian really left the boat, where did he go next?

HIS SISTER FEARS HE MAY HAVE BEEN TAKEN

Julian’s sister Jennifer Amaral, 34, has publicly expressed fears that someone may have taken her brother.

She said her theory was that Julian may have been targeted because he was unfamiliar with the area and did not speak Portuguese.

But that remains a family theory.

There is currently no confirmed evidence publicly establishing that Julian was abducted.

Portuguese authorities are continuing to investigate what happened after he disappeared.

A SEARCH ALONG THE TAGUS

The investigation has now entered a more serious phase.

After the 24-hour period passed, the case was moved into a criminal investigation.

Maritime Police have also been searching along the Tagus River.

At the same time, Julian’s relatives are continuing to check hospitals and other locations where he might have ended up.

Earlier reporting said authorities had not found evidence confirming that he went into the water.

“WE JUST WANT HIM TO BE BACK SAFELY”

For Julian’s family, the investigation is about much more than a missing-person case.

They describe him as friendly, kind-hearted and deeply loved.

His sister has spoken about the impact his disappearance is having on their mother, siblings, nieces and nephews.

The family is pleading for anyone who may have seen Julian after he left the boat to come forward.

Even a seemingly insignificant detail could help establish his movements during the crucial period after midnight.

THE QUESTION EVERYONE IS ASKING

Julian went to a party expecting a normal night with his family.

He told his cousin he was going to the toilet.

Then, somehow, he disappeared.

Witnesses reportedly saw him leave the boat.

His phone stopped providing useful information.

Police searched the vessel.

Hospitals were checked.

And now Maritime Police are searching along the river while investigators examine the circumstances surrounding his disappearance.

For his family, every unanswered question brings them back to the same desperate hope:

That somewhere in Lisbon, Julian is still out there — and that someone knows where he is.

The family continues to appeal for information that could help bring the 23-year-old safely home.