Next, three speleologists tried to lower themselves into the well upside-down attempting to at least remove the tablet, but all failed because the passage was too narrow for an adult to go that deep.

As time was passing, commander of the Rome fire department Elveno Pastorelli ordered everyone to ignore the tablet and concentrate on digging up a wider, parallel shaft beside the well.

The plan was to bore a tunnel as deep as 40 m (130 ft) and then a connecting horizontal corridor that would allow rescuers to reach the boy from below.

Efforts intensified and heavy machinery was brought to the site but unfortunately the drilling caused the boy to slip an estimated 30 m (98 ft) further down the well.

This is because at certain depths there were layers of hard rock that required the use of extreme impact tools, thus shaking the entire area.

As rescue attempts became more desperate, Angelo Licheri, a volunteer, was secured and lowered into the well to try to save Alfredo.

Among other prizes, Amen won that year's "Targa Tenco", one of the most prestigious music acknowledgments in Italy.