Sandys residents were elated after an 8-year-old boy reported missing yesterday afternoon was found safe and well more than five hours later.

Members of the public joined the search for Luke-Travis King Faries, who was last seen in the area around Heathcote Drive earlier in the afternoon.

The Bermuda Police Service confirmed at about 9.50pm last night that the child had been found safe and well.

An earlier appeal for assistance said that the boy was last seen on foot at about 3.50pm yesterday.

As news of the missing boy spread, residents converged on Sound View Road while teams of police officers searched the area for Luke.

At 9pm, a female resident told The Royal Gazette that she had joined the search for the child at about 5pm.

“We checked all over and we hope he is alright somewhere,” she said.

She was then joined by her daughter as other people arrived to join the search for the child and residents decided to comb further east into Sound View Road.

At the time, more police officers arrived on the scene while passing motorists stopped and asked about the boy’s whereabouts.

Another resident reported that he was at home at around 9pm when the police knocked on his door as they made checks for the boy.

The man said he saw a post on Facebook about the missing boy and immediately grabbed a flash light took as well as his dog to search for the child.

While he walked his dog, a family walked by, calling out for “Luke” as the search continued.

At around 9.30pm, a motorcyclist drove down Sound View Road and entered Heathcote Hill with his bike’s horn blaring and Luke riding pillion.

“We found him,” a police officer nearby confirmed while passing residents thanked the officer as the search ended.

Residents later gathered at the corner of Heathcote Hill and Sound View Road and expressed relief that the boy had been reunited with his family.