A 64-year-old woman, Arom Arunroj, had a frightening experience in her home outside Bangkok when a massive 16-foot python attacked her while she was preparing to do her evening dishes. The python coiled around her torso, squeezing her to the floor of her kitchen, as she desperately tried to free herself. It was only after an hour and a half of cries for help that a neighbor heard her screams and authorities were called to the scene.

Anusorn Wongmalee, a responding police officer, described finding Arom exhausted and pale, with the snake wrapped around her. Police and animal control officers had to use a crowbar to hit the snake on the head until it released its grip and slithered away before it could be captured. Arom spent about two hours trapped by the python before finally being freed.

Although she was treated for several bites, Arom appeared to be otherwise unharmed in videos taken shortly after the incident. Encounters with snakes are not uncommon in Thailand, with 26 people killed by venomous snake bites last year. The reticulated python, the largest snake in Thailand, can range from 5 to 21 feet in size and weigh up to 165 pounds. While attacks on humans are rare, they do occur from time to time.