Yuta Minagawa, 2, who was rescued after spending four days in a car buried by an earthquake-triggered landslide in Niigata Prefecture, was released from a hospital and returned home Friday.

His mother, Takako, 39, and 3-year-old sister, Mayu, were killed in the landslide, which swept their car off a road in Nagaoka on Oct. 23. The boy was rescued 92 hours later. Mayu's body has yet to be recovered from the flattened vehicle, which remains partially buried along a steep slope.

Yuta, who turns 3 on Nov. 21, left Nagaoka Red Cross Hospital together with his 37-year-old father, Manabu, who repeatedly voiced his thanks to hospital staff and reporters.