42 Students’ Passports “Destroyed”, Currently Stuck in New York

Nearly 50 students from the United Kingdom are currently stuck in New York after a bizarre mishap left them without their passports and no way home.

International travel is always stressful, let alone when you add a literal busload of young adults to the mix. My international trip to Spain when I was a student at Rondout Valley High School in Accord, NY, had no more than 10 students, and I still remember how much of a handful we were. Nothing, however, compared to the 42 stranded British students.

British Students Stuck in New York

In a bizarre story that still has more questions than answers, 41 of the group's passports were somehow "destroyed" while on a ski trip in New Hampshire, rendering their international return impossible. In an attempt to find a solution, the group headed to the British Embassy in New York.

The UK in NYC

While adults try to secure the correct documentation to head back to Britain (a nation definitely not known for breathtaking ski slopes), the students have been making the best out of their unexpected visit to the Big Apple. The school's Twitter account has been active with tourist shots all across the city (below).

What Exactly Happened?

Before the students (finally) leave tomorrow, I have some questions. For instance, how big, exactly, was the tea kettle that all these passports fell in to, and how long did it take for them to disintegrate in the hot water? (I'm only assuming that's how it happened, as no more details have been released).

Get our free mobile app

Best wishes to the giant school group as they head back across the pond, and a special thought to their chaperones, who I can only imagine have had enough of keeping calm and carrying on. Maybe they should check out one of these cooler Hudson Valley options below next time.