Eight students were rescued unharmed Thursday evening after spending nearly four hours stranded on a malfunctioning roller coaster in Galveston, Texas.

The riders became stuck approximately 100 feet in the air on the Iron Shark roller coaster at Pleasure Pier when the ride stopped during its vertical climb. The malfunction occurred at the peak of the ride, which features a steep, nearly vertical drop overlooking the Gulf of Mexico.

Photos and news footage from the scene showed the roller coaster car stalled at the top of the ride's towering structure. Emergency responders worked for hours to safely extract the stranded passengers from their elevated position.

All eight riders were successfully rescued without injury after the extended ordeal. The Pleasure Pier amusement park is located on Galveston Island along the Texas coast.

The cause of the mechanical malfunction that led to the ride stoppage has not been disclosed. No additional details about the rescue operation or the condition of the ride have been released.