A very large woman trapped a total of 22 tourists in a South African cave on New Year's Day for over 10 hours after she became stuck in between rocks and was unable to get out.

The overweight woman, whose name was not revealed, was reportedly warned about the possibility by the staff at the Cango Caves in Western Cape, but she insisted on trying.

According to BBC reports, it took huge efforts to rescue the woman, who was eventually freed with the aid of some liquid paraffin and a pulley.

Hein Gerstner, manager of Cango Caves, told the BBC, "The obstacle has a narrow base. She lost her footing and went down in a splits position. There was no way she could get her body weight up.

"We believe what goes in, must come out again. People get stuck all the time - that's one of the unfortunate things that happen. It's part of the adventure."