Mysterious glowing dots flew over a city in China, sparking fears of an alien invasion.

Footage shows dozens of strange glowing dots in the sky at night that worried residents if it was a sign of extraterrestrials coming to Earth.

The unusual train of shining lights floating above tall residential buildings was captured above the streets of Deyang, Sichuan province, southwestern China, on February 15.

The puzzling appearance, which some described as a 'dragon gliding across the sky', reportedly stretched for some 500 metres (1,600 feet) before going out of sight.

The luminous dots hovered next to a building and circled around the moonlight.

After a while, they slowly dispersed and joined the long train.