A stampede at a biker festival in Atlantic Beach, South Carolina, injured at least 19 people early Sunday, after a brief crowd reaction near the stage area turned into a mass casualty response just after 1 a.m. local time.

Horry County Fire Rescue said the incident was reported at 1:05 a.m. on May 24 during the Black Pearl Cultural Heritage and Bike Festival. The agency said 19 patients were located and evaluated for injuries, and that none were believed to be life-threatening at that time. Three people were transported to the hospital, while authorities said others may have gone to local hospitals on their own.

The town of Atlantic Beach said the crowd movement started when one person began running, triggering what officials described as a brief chain reaction within the crowd that lasted only seconds. South Carolina Law Enforcement Division personnel quickly reached the stage and took control of the scene, the town said, while multiple announcements were made to calm the crowd and make clear that no incident had occurred.

The festival, which has been held for more than 40 years and takes place every Memorial Day weekend in Atlantic Beach, has long drawn visitors from across the country. Town officials said safety measures had been in place throughout the weekend, and Titus Leaks said the goal was to make sure people understood what actually happened and what steps were already being taken to protect them.

Officials also stressed that there were no confirmed fights, weapons or direct threats to public safety. The town said it recognized that the isolated moment did not reflect the overall success of the event, and Leaks said the response by law enforcement, which was already positioned at the festival, helped contain the crowd reaction quickly. The remaining question for attendees and organizers is not whether the festival continued, but how the event’s long-running security plan will be reviewed after a sudden rush that left 19 people injured.