A 50-year-old Greek woman has died after she was attacked by three shepherd dogs in her garden in the village of Neochorouda, Greece, Sky News reports Monday.

According to police sources, the dogs escaped through a hole in their owner’s fence about 80 metres away and ran to the woman’s garden where she was working.

A man, who police said was deaf-mute, was helping the woman with the gardening but was far from her at the moment of the attack and could not hear her screams, the report stated.

The woman was severely mauled and bleeding heavily and was confirmed dead at the scene after the arrival of emergency workers with an ambulance.

Greek state broadcaster, ERT, stated that the woman’s two sons – aged 17 and 18, heard their mother’s screams but were too late to help.

Her ex-husband told the broadcaster the dogs were “huge, wild ones,” adding that “they have left many times and chased people many times.”

“It is not the first time,” he lamented.

The 37-year-old dog owner was arrested and faces a prosecutor on Monday morning, while the dogs are being held in a kennel and will be put down.

Reports said the woman had lived in the area for 20 years and was a candidate in local elections, according to the Greek newspaper Ta Nea.