Nicola Crowle, 16, who was one of dozens of Crookhorn College students to fall ill on a school trip to New York and Washington

Pupils who were quarantined in their Washington DC hotel as a result of a mystery illness are on their way home from what has been described as a school trip from hell.

A total of 48 pupils from Crookhorn College in Waterlooville, near Portsmouth, and three teachers were struck down with the virus on what was meant to be a school trip of a lifetime to New York and Washington DC.

Parents had forked out £1,400 for their children to attend the trip organised by the school's head of history Samuel McGinley, who saw dozens of his pupils rushed to hospital.

The Year 11 pupils were quarantined at the Harrington Hotel in DC having been discharged and faced an anxious wait to see whether they will be allowed to fly home this evening.

Thankfully, they were all passed fit to fly, and their Virgin Atlantic flight departed Washington Dulles this evening and is expected to land in the UK tomorrow morning.

Nicola Crowle, 16, was the worst hit by the illness - described as a gastro virus - and was still in hospital last night while her classmates were in the hotel.

Doctors discharged her this morning, but the aspiring accountant had spent three of the four days across the Atlantic in a hospital bed.

One of her teachers took Nicola on a whistlestop tour of the city so that she could take some pictures before they headed for the airport and her mother Susan, 57, told MailOnline she cannot wait to have her daughter home.

'The trip from hell is almost over,' she said.

'I'm relieved she is on her way home and it's nice that the teacher did that for her.

'I'll be happy to see her tomorrow morning, that's for sure.'

Nicola had eaten at a restaurant in New York on the night the party arrived in the US and was among the first to fall ill.

Health officials had initially thought it was food poisoning, but as more and more students and adults began to suffer from similar symptoms having eaten at a number of different outlets, they widened their investigation to consider other possible causes.

While food poisoning has not been ruled out, there is no indication that the restaurant she ate at was in any way to blame for the mass sickness.

Forty-eight teenagers and three adults were taken to hospital from the Harrington Hotel in Washington DC while suffering from the 'virulent gastro virus'

Tia Jennings, 15, (pictured) was struck down with the 'virulent gastro virus' during the Crookhorn College trip to America

Lisa Jennings, 39, whose daughter Tia, 15, was on the trip, told MailOnline: 'It's been a nightmare. She flew out on Thursday to New York City. It was Tia's first time going to America and she'd been waiting two years to go. The head of history [Mr McGinley] had planned a full itinerary but they were only able to do one thing on that list and that was to go to the Twin Towers memorial on the Friday.

'We had a Facetime conversation the following morning when she told us she wasn't feeling well. She then got worse during the day and the group started dropping like flies.

'Tia went to hospital on Friday evening at 9pm with a temperature and complete nausea. She was very upset and distressed.

'She was very sick on Friday. She was then taken back to hospital on Saturday evening as she couldn't eat or drink anything.

'She's now out of hospital and has been quarantined at the Harrington Hotel in Washington DC.

'We are waiting to hear whether she will be able to fly home later today. She just wants to come home.'

Crookhorn College in Waterlooville, near Portsmouth. Pupils and staff from the school set off for New York and Washington DC on March 29

Medics said some in the group began feeling ill while visiting New York but decided to push ahead with the next stage of their trip to DC before seeking medical attention.

Vito Maggiolo, District of Columbia Fire and EMS spokesman, said the first call came in around 7pm from the Harrington Hotel, close to the White House.

'From there it was a slowly escalating incident,' he said.

Initially 12 teens and one adult were taken to the hospital in a stable condition before the whole group was taken in as a precaution.

A spokesman for the hotel said the group arrived sick having traveled from New York and wished them a speedy recovery

Hotel Harrington staff said the group arrived sick and immediately decided to go to the hospital.

Officials from the DC Department of Health, DC Department of Energy and Environment and the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene are said to be investigating.

A spokesperson for Crookhorn College said: 'The college trip to the USA comprising of 48 students and five staff have been struck by a virulent gastro virus that has affected most of the party during their time in New York and Washington.

'The main priority since the outbreak of the virus has been the safety and welfare of the students and staff and keeping the families in this country informed of events.

'All members of the trip are now well into recovery and are being kept under observation at their hotel in Washington.

'A further member of staff has flown in to join the group to give assistance to the staff who are there and further support to the students.

'The staff who are in the US have done the most amazing job at looking after the children and the College has had fantastic support in this country from Hampshire County Council.

'Our main priority now is to ensure that all the students and staff get home safe and well.'