TRIPOLI, Libya — Authorities said the Dutch boy who is the sole survivor of a plane crash in Libya may be flown home to the Netherlands as early as Saturday, offering a glimmer of hope as investigators began the daunting task of identifying bodies and determining the crash's cause.

Rescuers found 9-year-old Ruben Van Assouw still strapped in his seat and breathing in an area of desert sand strewn with the plane's debris. His father, mother and 11-year-old brother are believed to have been among the 103 people on board who were killed Wednesday when their flight from South Africa crashed short of the runway in Tripoli.

One of the lead doctors treating the boy said he could return home as early as Saturday. "The situation is stable," said orthopedic specialist Sadig Bendala. "He's OK. He's not getting any worse. He's progressing quite well."

The doctor said many factors could have played a role in his stunning survival, including where he was seated in the plane. "It's something from God, that he wanted him to live longer," Bendala said.

The child was recovering well after more than 4 hours of surgery to repair multiple fractures to his legs. His aunt and uncle rushed to Libya from the Netherlands and were visiting him in a hospital in Tripoli.

Ruben suffered four fractures to his legs and lost a lot of blood, Dr. Hameeda al-Saheli, head of the pediatric ward, told the Libyan news agency JANA. But his neck, head and face were not seriously injured, and a large bandage placed on his head after the crash had been removed Thursday.

Most of those on board the Afriqiyah Airways flight from Johannesburg were Dutch tourists.