Eight riders rescued after Texas roller coaster malfunction

Eight riders were safely rescued Thursday evening after a roller coaster malfunction left them hanging backward near the top of a ride at a Galveston, Texas amusement park.

(CNN) – Eight riders were safely rescued Thursday evening after a roller coaster malfunction left them hanging backward near the top of a ride at a Galveston, Texas amusement park.

“It made a big bang, it went boom, so it got stuck there, it just got stuck,” said park attendee Cayce Escobar.

The incident happened on the Iron Shark roller coaster at Pleasure Pier. Witnesses said the ride appeared to stop unexpectedly during its climb.

“Basically the ride started malfunctioning,” said Yoandry Guity. “The ride starts off by stopping in the middle of the ride. But as it went up it stopped again.”

The Iron Shark is one of the tallest attractions at the park, leaving riders stranded roughly 100 feet above the ground.

Galveston firefighters responded to the scene and used a ladder truck to reach the passengers. Rescue crews placed each rider in a safety harness and lowered them individually to the ground. Officials reported no significant injuries. Pleasure Pier released a statement saying the ride experienced a malfunction and will undergo a thorough inspection before returning to operation.

The cause of the malfunction has not been announced.