Videos of a beach in Iran turning bright red amid heavy downpour has taken over the internet, with people calling the phenomenon ‘blood rain’. While some people find it amusing, others have been somewhat scared.
Here’s what the blood rain in Iran actually is.
Blood rain in Iran explained
The video started going viral a few days ago but it was originally posted on February 22 on Instagram by a tour guide. The viral video shows heavy rain carrying down red soil to the beach. When it mixes with the sea, the water turns crimson too.
“The start of the heavy rain of the famous Red Beach of Hormoz,” the tour guide wrote in Persian and captioned the mesmerising video.
“Serasima tourists seeing this rain is amazing,” he added.
The tour guide also shared another similar video of the blood rain on February 8.
“Heavy rain today red beach. Today, the red beach was at its peak with the presence of tourists [sic],” he wrote.
Take a look at the viral blood rain video:
While many people have called it an unexplained phenomenon or have floated ideas of extreme weather change, the truth is not that complicated.
This unique scene is the result of the presence of a particular type of soil in the region.
According to CNN quoting the Iranian Toursim Board, the phenomenon is caused by the high concentration of iron oxide in the soil, turning it bright red. The minerals in the soil also get mixed with the sea water, leading to a mesmerising reddish glow in the beach.
This phenomenon happens all round the year and is a popular tourist attraction in Iran. According to the Hindustan Times, the beach is located in the ‘rainbow island’ in the Strait of Hormuz.
Social media amused
The video attracted a lot of buzz on social media.
“Meanwhile in Iran Unexplainable ‘Blood Rain’ means God is getting mad,” a user wrote.
“Blood rain! I am just kidding; this is what happens when rain falls on red sand rich with iron oxide minerals, creating the illusion of blood rain,” another explained.
“Glory be to God. What a beauty. Indeed, God is the best painter of both worlds,” a user wrote on the original Instagram video.
“Is this where red dye 40 comes from,” another joked.
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