Red Sky Over Caracas Alarms Residents After Deadly Earthquakes

The sky over Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, turned a dramatic red and orange on Tuesday evening, causing alarm among residents still recovering from recent deadly earthquakes.

The event occurred as the nation deals with the aftermath of two major earthquakes on June 24, which available reports state resulted in approximately 2,000 fatalities. The unusual sky colour prompted widespread speculation on social media.

Meteorologists have explained the event as a natural atmospheric phenomenon known as Rayleigh scattering, caused by fine dust from the Sahara desert suspended in the atmosphere. This dust scatters blue light, allowing only red and orange wavelengths to be visible.

The Saharan dust is reportedly moving west and is expected to eventually reach the US state of Florida.

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