A Rochester man was among those needing hospital treatment after climbers got stuck in blizzard conditions on Africa's highest mountain.

Sanjay Raval had reached the 19,341ft summit of Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, yesterday, when a storm descended on the mountain, sparking a rescue effort to get climbers off its slopes.

Among those in the most trouble was a group of French teachers, and Mr Raval - the owner of City Wall wine bar in Rochester High Street - became involved in helping the stricken group as temperatures plummeted to -15C and visibility reduced to two metres.

"We deviated off our track and went over to them," said Sanjay. "We could be barely see what was going on.

"One of the climbers had dropped their pack over a ledge and the guide had gone down to try and retrieve it. As he'd gone down he'd slipped and hurt himself and couldn't get back up."

Two of the teachers had then tried to lower themselves with a rope to help him, and got stuck too.

"They just didn't have the strength, with the weather being as it was, you just can't close your hands. It was bitter freezing, so when we got there my guide lowered me down by his rope. I couldn't do anything to help the guide because he was in too bad a condition and I was absolutely frozen.

"I couldn't feel my fingers and toes either, so the best I could do was try and help the two teachers onto a ledge and we just literally huddled together, because I had no strength in my hands to pull myself up, nor did my guide.

"To be perfectly honest I was petrified. I could barely see two metres, I was hanging off a ledge by a rope, huddled up with two French teachers that barely spoke English.

"They had been there longer than I had so they were frozen to bits. Their lips were all iced up. Their eyelashes were crusted up with icicles. it looked more frightening than the situation was."

Sanjay's guide then radioed for help, and huddled up with the other two teachers until a team of mountain rangers arrived an hour and a half later.

"When the rangers did arrive they dealt with the guide first because he was a bit more critical than the rest of us," he added. "We were all stretchered down because we literally couldn't move. I couldn't close my hand. I could barely stand on my feet.

"Hypothermia was kicking in quite severely for all of us, so we were taken down to a lower camp."

But after a stay in hospital, Sanjay was released and was well enough to spend the next day recuperating back at his hotel with a few beers. He has since heard the other climbers have recovered from the ordeal, and the injured guide left hospital with only cuts and bruises.

And despite the ordeal, his overriding emotion is pride, having reached the summit.

The 48-year-old businessman had been dogged with injuries in recent years, but put himself through a rigorous training regime for the ascent in aid of Demelza children's hospice.

"I was incredibly chuffed," he said. "It was one of the hardest things I've done in my life. It was a lot of determination but I got there. The last couple of hundred meters, breathing was so difficult and with the temperature dropping - I just wanted to hit that summit."

There won't be much time to relax for Sanjay though. He's now off to complete a jungle trek in search of gorillas, before going shark-diving.

To donate visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/SanjayRaval.