August 21, 2026 | 12:53 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A post on X [archive] circulated a video on August 17, 2026, claiming that a red sky phenomenon occurred after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck East Nusa Tenggara. The video, circulating after the August 15, 2026, NTT earthquake, shows a pitch-black area shrouded in a crimson sky, with residential lights on.
Is it true that the red sky phenomenon occurred in NTT after the earthquake?
FACT CHECK
Tempo verified the content through reverse image searches and reference to credible media reports. The results showed that the dark red sky phenomenon occurred in Colombia, not Indonesia.
Similar videos were uploaded by the Instagram account @uae_barq_en, the X account @AztecaNoticias, and the Facebook account Ryan Budna. The English-language YouTube channel Breaking Info also broadcast the video on Sunday, August 16, 2026.
This natural phenomenon occurred several days after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, August 10, 2026. The disaster left 294 people dead, 3,935 injured, and 320 missing.
Residents around Galeras, Sucre, were left bewildered by the deep red sky. Panic spread on social media as the public linked it to seismic activity. The website Canal26.com reported analysts' explanations, stating that the atmospheric phenomenon was triggered by the scattering of sunlight, not a sign of earthquake activity.
NTT Earthquake
A 7.7 magnitude tectonic earthquake struck northeastern Nagekeo, East Nusa Tenggara, on Saturday, August 15, 2026, at approximately 4:58:23 a.m. Western Indonesian Time (WIB). The Geological Agency of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources confirmed that local geological conditions amplified the tremors of the 15-kilometer-deep earthquake.
As of Monday afternoon, August 17, 2026, the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) had recorded 1,624 aftershocks with magnitudes ranging from 1.3 to 6.2.
Wijayanto, Director of Earthquakes and Tsunami at BMKG, stated the agency had issued a tsunami early warning approximately 2 minutes and 16 seconds after the main shockwave. A warning status for potential waves of 0.5–3 meters was issued for North Manggarai, North Ngada, Ende, East Flores, and Jeneponto, while a lower warning status was issued for Bima, Dompu, and Wajo.
CONCLUSION
Tempo's verification concluded that the video of a red sky appearing in East Nusa Tenggara after the earthquake was false.
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