These accounts are contained in letters written by Pliny the Younger to Publius Cornelius Tacitus, a Roman historian. Pliny was about 17 years old at the time of the catastrophe and observed the events surrounding the volcano from a distance of about 29 kilometers, from the city of Misenium. His uncle, Pliny the Elder, set out to rescue his friend and sent a rescue fleet towards the volcano. Although written 25 years after the volcanic eruption, Pliny's letters describe quite well the information gathered from his uncle and his own observations made "at a safe distance."
