Fourteen people were arrested and 10 sex trafficking victims rescued in an undercover sting operation at the Comic-Con convention in San Diego.

The California Justice Department ran the operation at the annual event – which celebrates superheroes, comic books and pop culture – from 25 to 27 July.

Officers from the human trafficking task force posed as sex buyers and posted undercover advertisements soliciting sex in the three-day sting.

Fourteen alleged sex buyers were arrested and face solicitation charges – while nine adult potential victims and a 16-year-old girl were rescued, according to prosecutors.

“Child welfare services and adult and juvenile support service advocates were on scene to provide support as needed,” officials said in a statement.

The San Diego Comic-Con convention told Sky’s US partner network NBC News the results of the operation were “very disturbing” and that it had not been aware of the sting.

“It is our understanding that the arrests were made outside of the event. We work closely with a variety of law enforcement entities throughout the year and stand ready to assist in any way we can,” it said.

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California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement that sex traffickers “capitalise on large scale events such as Comic-Con to export their victims for profit”.

“These arrests send a clear message to potential offenders that their criminal behaviour will not be tolerated,” he said.

“We are grateful to all our dedicated partners involved in the San Diego human trafficking task force, whose collaboration has been invaluable.

“We take great pride in our office’s commitment to uplifting vulnerable Californians by offering them assistance and guidance when they need it most.”

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Stars at this year’s Comic-Con, which has attracted more than 130,000 visitors in recent years, included Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, who promoted their film Deadpool and Wolverine, and Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr.

The 59-year-old announced he will return to the Marvel film franchise as the villain Doctor Doom.

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