Eight students rescued after being stuck at top of rollercoaster

Eight Houston-area students were rescued after Iron Shark at Galveston's Pleasure Pier stopped on its initial ascent. The rescue took almost four hours because the car was near the top of a 100-foot lift over the pier, so firefighters used a tower truck or ladder and safety harnesses to remove riders one at a time. Officials said the ride would be inspected before returning to service, and the cause of the malfunction was still unclear in local reports.

1. Frame 1A malfunction turns Iron Shark's climb at Galveston's Pleasure Pier into a 100-foot rescue for eight Houston students.
2. Frame 2The key constraint was height: Iron Shark's vertical lift reaches about 100 feet, putting the rescue above the pier and Gulf water.
3. Frame 3From about 5:21 p.m. to after 9 p.m., responders worked in heat while the park closed around the tower truck space.
4. Frame 4The rescue moved one rider at a time: safety harness, firefighter ladder or tower truck, then a slow descent to the pier.
5. Frame 5Officials said the emergency stop worked as designed after the malfunction, but the stopped ascent still became a four-hour rescue.
6. Frame 6Next test: inspect the ride before reopening and explain what failed, because the cause was still unclear Thursday night.