This is the spooky moment a swing moves by itself in a children’s park in Colombia without apparently slowing down, prompting frightened locals to claim it must be a supernatural force.

However, not all netizens were spooked by the footage and one Facebook user joked: “The poor ghost didn’t have a childhood!”

The eerie scene was filmed in a play park in the city of Cali in the western Colombian department of Valle del Cauca, and the footage was widely shared by local media last week.

The video shows a colourful swing in a children’s park moving backwards and forwards by itself without apparently slowing down.

In the footage, the nervous cameraperson, identified as Camilo Vasquez, is heard saying: “There is a ghost swinging. There is no one in the park.”

He posted it with the comment: “They say there is a goblin who plays in the area. Children have been scared before and said they throw stones at it when it gets on that swing.”

In Spanish, ‘duende’ can be translated to goblin or elf, with most artistic depictions resembling goblins more than elves. However, in some Latin American cultures, the word, which originates from ‘dueno de casa’ (‘master of the house’) can also mean a mischievous spirit inhabiting a dwelling.

Many netizens seem to believe that the spooky swing in the video was probably haunted by some kind of supernatural being, with Facebook user ‘Paula Andrea Palomino Perdomo’ commenting: “With this, they are not just playing, they are suffering and want divine justice, meaning they are sending a message.”

Netizen ‘Cesar Par’ wrote: “This happens where someone has been killed.”

‘Camilo Uribe’ said: “It must be a spirit manifesting itself.”

‘Adriana Melo’ remarked: “It’s not that uncommon, many ghosts live among us.”

However, ‘LO Rena’ joked: “Caspar (the Friendly Ghost) has the right to have fun too!”

‘Homero Osorio’ said: “The poor ghost didn’t have a childhood!”