By Neelam Rahim

An 8-year-old boy who had been missing for over a week was found alive Saturday.

The boy, identified by authorities as Joe, was reported missing on June 17.

His disappearance sparked an enormous effort, and search parties spent days trying to find him vainly.

Cops said Joe wandered aloof from home and down a rainwater drain on June 17. He continued his harrowing journey through several pipes within the city about 80 miles west of Hamburg.

Police were told Joe had a disorder, in line with CNN. They surmised that he lost his sense of direction while within the installation.

At one point, the youngster took off all his clothes and sneaked through a pipe just two feet wide. He was only found when a passerby heard a noise from under a top on June 25, just 300 metres from the boy’s home.

Police broke the news by tweeting: “Eight-year-old Joe lives!”

Joe was hospitalized for hypothermia and dehydration but didn’t suffer severe injuries during his weeklong escapade, cops said.

The authorities concluded that Joe possibly climbed into a concrete drainage pipe while playing, crawled into the sewage system through a canal, and got lost after several meters.

 Investigators said that, between the doorway to the system and where Joe was found, there are drainage maintenance hole shafts and junctions at regular intervals where he could get on his feet.

Joe told police in an initial statement that he became increasingly disoriented while stuck within the sewers and could not find his answer.

“We are so happy — truly,” said police spokesman Stephan Klatte, in line with CNN affiliate N-TV.

“That is absolute luck. Of course, there was a clear stage where we wouldn’t find the kid. If he had not made a sound or these noises not being heard, then we might not have found him there in the least,” Klatte added.

“The police have ruled out third-party negligence at this time in time,” authorities said

Joe’s surname hasn’t been made public under Germany’s privacy laws.