Emergency crews rushed to the aid of theme park visitors in Galveston, Texas, on Thursday after a carriage of roller coaster passengers became stranded above a near-vertical 90-degree drop.
Photographs from Pleasure Pier’s Iron Shark roller coaster showed rescue workers climbing a ladder to reach the stricken carriage, with eight passengers visibly trapped on the ride.
The Iron Shark is the tallest coaster on the pier, boasting a 100-foot vertical lift hill. The ride had reportedly been stuck since around 5:30 p.m. local time, leaving passengers stranded for over two and a half hours.
KHOU 11 reported that those trapped aboard the roller coaster are STEM students from Houston enjoying a senior trip.
When running normally, the Iron Shark reaches speeds of 52 mph. Riders must be at least 42 inches tall, according to the Pleasure Pier website.
Live footage from the scene showed fire service personnel carefully making their way up the track to reach the stranded riders, securing them one by one in a harness.
Officials were seen removing lap bars and shoulder restraints from passengers before carefully lowering them onto the ladder.
The passengers were then observed descending the fully-extended ladder one rung at a time.
By 8:00 p.m. local time, only four of the eight passengers had been brought to safety.
Terry Turney, COO of Pleasure Pier, confirmed in a statement that the ride stopping at the top of the track was a deliberate safety feature triggered by the malfunction.
“The ride experienced a malfunction at its initial ascent. However, as designed, it immediately stopped to keep everyone safe,” Turney said.
“Our focus immediately shifted to the safety of our guests. Therefore, we contacted the Fire Department to assist, ensuring all guests were safely removed from the ride.
“A thorough inspection of the ride will take place before it is placed back in service,” he said.