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Photo: Florian Gaertner / photothek.net / photothek / IMAGO
A seven-year-old boy who was being searched for at great expense in Mannheim has apparently played a prank.
The primary school student, who had been missing since early Wednesday afternoon, hid in the school bus after class, the police in the Baden-Württemberg city said.
He also spent the night there unnoticed.
When the bus company resumed operations on Thursday, the child was found safe and sound under a bench.
After an ambulance crew checked his health, the boy was handed over to his parents.
Search by helicopter
The boy had been missing since early Wednesday afternoon.
The investigators initially assumed that he had lost his way and might be in a helpless situation.
According to the police, a helicopter was used to search for the boy in downtown Mannheim.
swe/afp/dpa