Fact Check: No Red Sky After M7.7 Earthquake in NTT
Fact check - The crimson sky was observed in Colombia, not in Indonesia.
An X post in August 2026 circulated a video purporting a red sky phenomenon followed a 7.7-magnitude earthquake in East Nusa Tenggara. The video depicted a dark area beneath a crimson sky with illuminated homes. Did the red sky phenomenon truly occur in NTT after the temblor?
Verification efforts by Tempo revealed the crimson sky event had occurred in Colombia, not Indonesia. The same footage resurfaced on Instagram accounts @uae_barq_en, X account @AztecaNoticias, and Facebook page Ryan Budna, as well as the English-language YouTube channel Breaking Info on August 16, 2026.
The red sky spectacle transpired several days post a 7.4-magnitude earthquake in western Colombia on August 10, 2026, resulting in 294 deaths, 3,935 injuries, and 320 missing. Local residents in Galeras and Sucre were perplexed by the intense crimson sky, with social media amplifying fear that it signified seismic activity. The Colombian outlet Canal26.com cited analysts explaining the phenomenon was caused by sunlight scattering, not earthquake activity.
On Saturday, August 15, 2026, a 7.7-magnitude tectonic quake struck northeastern Nagekeo, East Nusa Tenggara, at approximately 4:58:23 a.m. Western Indonesian Time. The Earthquake and Volcanic Agency of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources affirmed that geological conditions in the region amplified the tremors, which measured 15 kilometers deep. As of Monday, August 17, 2026, the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) had logged 1,624 aftershocks ranging from 1.3 to 6.2 in magnitude.
BMKG Director Wijayanto declared the agency had issued a tsunami early warning about 2 minutes and 16 seconds post the initial shockwave. This warning prompted a wave height alert of 0.5–3 meters for several regions including North Manggarai, North Ngada, Ende, East Flores, and Jeneponto, while lower warnings were issued for Bima, Dompu, and Wajo.
In conclusion, Tempo's verification determined the video of a red sky appearing in East Nusa Tenggara following the earthquake was false.
Written by urgent.news from Tempo.co English's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
