SINGAPORE: In the past week, videos of a “lightning ball” in various neighbourhoods in Singapore have surfaced on various social media sites.
A luminescent orb, which appeared violet at times, was purportedly spotted floating in mid-air at three locations: a road in Tampines, a pavement in Pasir Ris Park and a void deck in Yishun.
The first video was posted on TikTok by @sundayannab1 on Sept 19. It showed the dashcam footage from a car, where a female passenger was heard telling a male driver to pull over, as there was a large object in front of their vehicle.
It received more than 40,000 likes and was shared more than 24,000 times.
Other videos of the enigmatic sphere subsequently surfaced on various social media platforms, including Wake Up, Singapore.
Members of the public took to the comments to postulate as to what the orbs were, with some suggesting it was ball lightning, a rare phenomenon where bright spheres of lightning form amid a thunderstorm.
An Instagram user, @juwiezy, said: “This has been reported in other parts of the world, and only the lucky ones get to record it.”
Others suggested that it might be related to a new local science fiction movie.
But on Sept 22, YouTrip, a Singapore-based fintech company that provides a multi-currency travel wallet, revealed that the videos were a publicity stunt for its birthday mascot – a purple dragon named Trippie – and were part of a new marketing campaign.
On a TikTok post, YouTrip wrote: “These tiny dragons zipped from Tampines to Yishun before landing in a suitcase at Changi, and now... they’re ready to make a big splash.”
The Singapore-based company also teased more details, asking viewers to “stay tuned for Sept 24”.
YouTrip had previously pulled a similar stunt in April, posting about purple skies over the Johor-Singapore Causeway, to commemorate the launch of its Malaysian ringgit wallet. The videos of the purple skies had racked up more than three million views. - The Straits Times/ANN
