8 students rescued after getting stuck on Pleasure Pier roller coaster, fire officials say

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

At 5:37 p.m., firefighters received a phone call from eight passengers stuck on the Iron Shark roller coaster, Galveston Fire Chief Mike Varela Jr. said.

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

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

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

Eyewitness News reviewed live camera video in Galveston and found that the flight 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. The Galveston Fire Department’s Tower 1 engine took up space on the dock to allow first responders to conduct the rescue.

Landry’s Inc., which owns Pleasure Pier, confirmed that the ride had malfunctioned but stopped as it was designed to do in such a situation. The statement read in part:

“Our focus immediately turned to the safety of our guests. Therefore, we called the fire department to assist, and ensure all guests were safely removed from the ride. A thorough inspection of the ride will be conducted before it is returned to service again.”

This is a developing story. Eyewitness News continues to gather facts.

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