Mass panic broke out at Disney World in Florida amid fears of a shooting – only for police to find it was a fight and a “popping balloon” that triggered the chaos.

Visitors at the park posted accounts that people were running and children were crying during the confusion on Thursday night.

But the Orange County Sheriff’s Office looked into the reports and swiftly put them to rest, saying there was “no active shooter”.

“A fight occurred, and a ‘popping’ sound was heard that we believe was a balloon. Guests began running and that’s how the active shooter rumour started,” it said in a post on X.

No details of the reported fight were provided and no one was arrested, a spokesperson for the office said on Friday.

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Glenn Brady, who had been visiting the theme park in Orlando with his family from Kansas, told local news outlet Fox35: “People were running in, getting down in a crouch position. The security people were, telling us to ‘get down’.”

He said the Happily Ever After fireworks had just finished, meaning rides and shows had closed down – although shops were still open – when panic over a possible shooting surged among crowds.

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“We were walking down Main Street, heading out of the park, when we – my family was in one of the stores – and then all of a sudden, people came rushing into the store,” he said.

Mr Brady, a pastor, said security had instructed everyone to take cover and many people were crying.

A Disney World spokesperson issued a statement thanking the sheriff’s office for its immediate response and said normal operations resumed at the park.

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