Three persons, who entered a lake to bathe cattle in preparation for the Ugadi festival, drowned in Kamahalli village of Nanjangud taluk in Mysuru district on Saturday. The deceased were identified as Vinod, Mudde Gowda, and Basave Gowda. According to the villagers, Vinod, who went into the waterbody with a cow, lost balance and fell and was unable to regain balance or swim to safety. Muddegowda and Basavegowda saw Vinod struggle and rushed to save him, but they did not know how to swim, and they too drowned. The incident cast a pall of gloom over the village. On receiving information, the fire and emergency service personnel reached the spot, and after a few hours of search, retrieved the three bodies. Nanjangud rural police registered a case and launched a probe.