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The original Merlion was struck by lightning!

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  • The original Merlion was struck by lightning!

    Okay, this isn't very timely since it happened nearly two weeks ago. I've been too busy with work of late


    Here's an article on the incident from AsiaOne:

    Merlion struck by lightning


    SINGAPORE'S iconic Merlion statue, a popular tourist attraction, was damaged by lightning on Saturday afternoon during a thunderstorm, according to reports.

    No one was hurt.

    The Merlion was struck by lightning between 4 and 5 pm local time, causing parts of the statue to fall near a group of startled visitors.

    The 8.6 metre-tall Merlion has the head of a lion and the body and tail of a fish, and sits at the mouth of the Singapore River near the central business district.

    The lion head symbolises Singapore's founding by an Indonesian prince who named his new settlement after a lion he saw when he landed on the island. The body of the fish represents Singapore's origins as a fishing village.

    Singapore, or 'Singapura', is derived from the Sanskrit words Singa (or Lion) and Pura (City).

    Singapore's police could not be reached for comment while a spokesman for Singapore's information ministry said she did not have any details about the incident. -- REUTERS

    (source: http://www.asiaone.com/Travel/News/S...28-125271.html )

    Photos here: http://www.asiaone.com/static/travel...90302_merlion/


    The Merlion's actually a symbol for the Singapore Tourism Board but I think it's become quite a national symbol both among Singaporeans and foreigners over the years so this incident did get some attention and jokes (maybe we're getting the divine wrath!).

    Singapore has among the highest amounts of lightning in the world though, so it isn't entirely surprising.

    The authorities are looking at ways to prevent this from happening in the future; the construction of a lightning rod beside the statue is being considered

  • #2
    A merlion indeed! We have a mercat cross in Edinburgh but it's nothing to do with felines or fish.

    http://www.edinburgh-royalmile.com/i...cat-cross.html

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    • #3
      So is this a good omen or bad omen for Singapore economy?

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