8 students rescued from roller coaster that was stuck for hours at Pleasure Pier

GALVESTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Crews rescued eight students who were stuck for hours on the Iron Shark roller coaster at Pleasure Pier in Galveston on Thursday.

Galveston Fire Department Chief Mike Varela Jr. said that at 5:37 p.m., firefighters received a call of eight riders stuck in the Iron Shark roller coaster.

Houston ISD confirmed that the eight riders involved were students who were participating in a field trip organized by Energized for STEM Academy Middle School and STEM Academy High School.

On Thursday night, HISD sent a statement that read in part:

"We are grateful that all students, staff, and chaperones are safe. School administration is in direct contact with the families of all students who were on the trip."

Eyewitness News reviewed video from our live camera in Galveston and found that the ride stopped at 5:21 p.m.

The roller coaster on the pier, Iron Shark, is the tallest and has a 100-foot vertical lift hill.

SkyEye13 showed that the amusement park was closed during the rescue operation. Galveston Fire Department's Tower 1 engine occupied space on the pier to allow first responders to conduct the rescue.

Landry's Inc., which owns Pleasure Pier, confirmed that the ride experienced a malfunction but stopped as it was designed to do in a situation like this. The statement read in part:

"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."

Pleasure Pier officials released a statement on Friday afternoon saying that the riders were stuck after a sensor failed, causing a malfunction that was not detectable in advance of the dizzying incident.

"The ride will only be placed back in service once we have completed a thorough investigation and ride safety testing is completed, to which we do not have a definitive timeline for just yet," a spokesperson said.