THIS is the terrifying moment eight students were left dangling more than 100ft in the air for hours after a rollercoaster ground to a halt mid-ride.

Harrowing footage shows the stranded passengers clinging on as fire crews raced to free them from the stalled ride.

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Eight students were trapped on a rollercoaster after it malfunctioned mid-rideCredit: ABC
 

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Emergency crews rushed to the scene to free themCredit: ABC
The authorities were called to the malfunctioning Iron Shark rollercoaster at Galveston’s Pleasure Pier in Texas shortly after 5.30pm.

The Iron Shark is the tallest ride on the pier and features a towering 100ft vertical lift hill.

Houston ISD confirmed the eight riders trapped on the coaster were students on a field trip.

Each passenger had to be carefully strapped into a harness before they could be lowered to safety.

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Each passenger had to be strapped into a safety harness before they could be lowered to the groundCredit: ABC
 

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The whole operation took around four hours to completeCredit: ABC
Throughout the painstaking operation, rescue teams were in constant communication with the distressed students to try and keep them calm.

Fire Chief Mike Varela Jr. said the pier had fortunately been designed with input from the fire department.

This meant crews could quickly access the area with the specialist equipment needed for the rescue.

It took around four hours to bring all eight riders safely back down to earth.

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By some miracle, no injuries were reported.

Varela Jr. praised the firefighters involved in the dramatic operation.

“I can’t say enough words about them tonight,” he said.

“They are top notch, they did an amazing job, it’s a proud moment, proud to be chief here.”

Terry Turner, COO of Pleasure Pier, said in a statement: “The ride experienced a malfunction at its initial ascent, however, as designed, it immediately stopped to keep everyone safe.

“Our focus shifted immediately 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.”

This is not the first time a rollercoaster malfunction has left terrified passengers stranded.

In March, children had to be rescued from a funfair ride using a forklift after it broke down while horrified parents watched on.

The seaside rollercoaster at Barry Island Pleasure Park ground to a sudden halt when one of its front wheel bearings jammed.

Park bosses said that fortunately none of the children were harmed during the malfunction.

One mum said: “This was me, my daughter and my nephews all we wanted was to give the kids a lovely day out, they decided they wanted to go on this ride, the first ride they went on, and this happened.

“We are parents who will go to the end of the earth to protect our kids all we wanted was a fun day out.

“These poor kids are now terrified of rides, this was a terrifying situation, for us my main focus was keeping them all safe as best as I could!”