The red sky that appeared in Zhoushan city of China's east Zhejiang province was caused by the refraction and scattering of light, most likely from ship lights in the port, local media reported Sunday.

Over the weekend, residents of Zhoushan witnessed mysterious blood red skies, causing panic. Videos show the sky over the port city in crimson, largely owing to fog. The reports suggest that sky is perhaps the most red near the port areas.

Panic was palpable as people recorded the discolored horizon, stirring apocalyptic fears.

People recorded the skies turning crimson red, from their houses, balconies, and streets, Global Times reported.

The clips and photos of the phenomenon went viral with more than 150 million views on China's Twitter-like social media, Weibo and Sina, Global Times reported. On Douyin, China's version of TikTok, some users have called the phenomenon a "bad omen" due to how Chinese government is handling COVID-19 pandemic.

"I have never seen anything like this before. It really amazes me that the sky can even turn red," a social media user said, as reported by Global Times.

"When weather conditions are good, more water in the atmosphere forms aerosols which refract and scatter the light of fishing boats and create the red sky seen by the public," said reports referring to the meteorological bureau in Zhoushan.