Eight students got a thrill they weren’t expecting when they were stuck strapped on their backs nearly 100 feet the air for hours on a roller coaster after the ride stopped near the top of its first climb.

First responders arrived to rescue the students on Pleasure Pier’s Iron Shark roller coaster in Galveston, Texas, after the emergency was called in at 5:37 p.m. Thursday about 15 minutes after the ride had stopped.

The students were from Houston. The Houston Independent School District (HISD), confirmed they were participating in a field trip organized by Energized for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Academy Middle School and STEM Academy High School.

“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,” HISD said in a statement on Thursday, ABC7 reported.

It took about four hours before the last student was removed from the coaster car, according to Galveston Fire Chief Mike Varela.

 

“Of course they were shaken up from climbing that ladder down, being in that hot sun,” Varela told reporters. “They have been checked for dehydration and everyone seems to be doing pretty good.”

He added, “You could tell they were shaken up, visually, and then you could see a sense of joy as well once their feet hit the ground.”

According to ABC 7:

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.”

The roller coaster on the Galveston pier has a 100-foot vertical lift hill.

The Iron Shark roller coaster reaches speeds of 52 miles per hour and glides along a 1,246-foot coaster track, according to the Pleasure Pier website.

Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of the Los Angeles crime novel Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.