Horror as thrill-seekers are stuck upside down for THREE HOURS on broken rollercoaster in Wisconsin

A Wisconsin rollercoaster packed with children was left perilously hanging upside down for over three hours when it suddenly stopped mid-ride Sunday. 

Terrifying footage saw a large emergency response descend on the Forest County Festival in Crandon, Wisconsin after the ride broke down. 

Eight people in total were left dangling due to the malfunction, seven of whom were children, reports WSAW.

'They did all very well,' said firefighter EMT Erica Kostichka. 'Obviously, they were scared. They had been upside down for quite some time.' 

Witnesses also declared one little girl stuck on the ride a hero after telling firemen to rescue an older man first who was struggling.  

Eight passengers were left stranded for hours on the Fire Ball rollercoaster 

All the riders were taken to hospital for evaluations, but no injuries were reported

All eight passengers were eventually were rescued from the 'Fire Ball' coaster several hours after it initially broke down. 

The Antigo Fire Department was called in to help with the operation because the Crandon Fire Department did not have the proper equipment. 

Firefighters were spotted at the scene with an aerial tower apparatus, and a ladder truck with a platform.

Officials said they were called to the theme park at 2:06pm after reports of a 'tipped over carnival ride'. 

'A rescue mission is not something that's quick,' Kostichka added. 'Life safety is number one.' 

All eight passengers were safely taken down from the coaster on a firetruck crane, and officials are working to establish the cause of the malfunction. 

No injuries were reported, but the eight riders were taken to hospital for evaluation, according to local reports. 

The Antigo Fire Department rescued the thrill seekers after racing to the scene Sunday 

The riders, most of whom were children, were rescued from the coaster after several hours

'All we know is that there is a mechanical failure with the ride where it became stuck in the upright position,' Capt. Brennan Cook of the Crandon Fire Department told WJFW-TV.

'The ride was recently inspected by the state of Wisconsin here on site and at this time, we do not have any other information.' 

According to Scott Brass, an attendee who posted about the incident on Facebook, one little girl stuck on the ride 'told the firemen to go rescue an older man first because he was struggling.'

'That little girl deserves a medal for courage for sure,' he said, adding: 'Glad no one was hurt and everyone is able to go home to their families tonight.' 

 A large emergency response was seen at the festival soon after, but there were no reports of injuries 

Brass also urged the local fire department to invest in a new bucket truck, feeling that 'things could have been tragic waiting for other depts with the proper equipment to get here'.  

Kati Declark, a mother of two girls who were stuck on the ride, told WISN: 'A lot of people were just trying to figure out, just like the amusement crew, trying to figure out what's going on, what's happening.

'It's really had to hear your kid yell your name and you can't help them.'  

It comes days after a North Carolina amusement park was forced to close down one of its rollercoasters after a massive crack was spotted on a support beam.