Home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said it was a miracle that Ratul Islam Fahim had survived after being trapped in the container for six days without food or drink.

He said Ratul received treatment at the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital before Hartini Zainudin of Yayasan Chow Kit asked for permission to place him in the care of her foundation, to which the ministry agreed.

Saifuddin said the ministry had contacted the Bangladesh High Commission in Malaysia to arrange for the documents to send Ratul home.

“Alhamdulillah, today he returns home to his family. Thanks to the immigration department, Bangladesh High Commissioner in Malaysia Golam Sarwar, Hartini, and all others who helped make this a smooth process,” he said on Twitter last night.

Ratul was found in a container at a wharf at Westports in Port Klang on Jan 17.

Klang Selatan district police chief Cha Hoong Fong said the boy, believed to be from Chittagong, was found in a weak state by a port worker at about 9pm.

Cha said an investigation found that the MV Integra had left Chittagong on Jan 12 and arrived at Westports on Jan 17.

He said Ratul told authorities he was playing in a container with friends in Chittagong but found himself locked inside.