Amarben Dangar (45) and her daughters -- Mamta (14) and Madhvi (12)-- drowned in the lake where Amarben had gone to wash clothes, they said.
"Amarben had gone to the lake to wash clothes when the incident took place. She jumped into the lake to rescue her two daughters who were drowning, and all three died," a police official at Bantwa police station said.
According to eyewitnesses, Amarben's younger daughter Madhvi slipped and started drowning.
To save her, Mamta jumped into the lake, but she also started drowning, upon which Amarben rushed to rescue them, police said.