The boy, identified by authorities only as Joe, was reported missing on the afternoon of June 17.
Joe was eventually rescued from the sewer system after a passer-by in the local area heard noises coming from the manhole cover early Saturday morning and alerted emergency services, the Oldenburg-Stadt / Amerland Police Department said in a statement on Tuesday. .
Joe was found just 1,000 feet from his home address and taken to a nearby hospital, where he was treated for hypothermia and dehydration.
Police said they did not believe anyone else was involved in the incident.
An initial police report described Joe as having learning difficulties. As the search continued, they said he could misinterpret it as a game and continue to hide.
Joe’s last name has not been made public in accordance with German privacy laws.
Immediately after the rescue, investigators began scanning the drainage system for evidence that he had disappeared.
Authorities concluded that Joe most likely climbed into a concrete drainage pipe during a game, then crawled into the sewer system through a canal and got lost a few meters away.
Investigators said there were drainage channels at regular intervals between the entrance to the drainage system and the spot where Joe was found, where he could stand.
Joe told police in an initial statement that he was becoming increasingly disoriented while stuck in the sewers and unable to find a way out.
“We’re so happy – really,” said police spokesman Stefan Klatt, according to N-TV, a subsidiary of CNN.
“It’s absolutely lucky. Of course, we had the opportunity not to find the child there. Eventually, if it hadn’t made a sound or these noises wouldn’t have been heard, then we might not have found it there at all, “Clatt added.
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