Dozens of wild horses have been found dead in Australia amid an extreme heatwave in the region.

More than 20 decomposing horses were discovered at a dried-up pool, known as “Deep Hole”, 56 miles east of Alice Springs, a remote town in Australia’s Northern Territory.

Pictures published on Facebook showed the dead animals strewn on the scorched ground, covered in dust and branches.

In a Facebook post, Alice Springs residents said that the horses “are likely to have perished from dehydration accompanied by the overwhelming heat”.

“The prospect of any living creatures perishing in this way has left many locals devastated. All feral animals need to be managed with effective strategies to minimise their impact on the environment and to alleviate any suffering,” the post read.

Australia's drought – the cancer eating away at farms Show all 16 1 /16 Australia's drought – the cancer eating away at farms Australia's drought – the cancer eating away at farms Farmer Ash Whitney stands atop a tree as he cuts off branches to feed his cattle Reuters Australia's drought – the cancer eating away at farms A cow walks away from a water tank near the town of Tamworth in New South Wales Reuters Australia's drought – the cancer eating away at farms Farmer Scott Cooper drops hay for his cattle next to a dried-up creek on South Park farm Reuters Australia's drought – the cancer eating away at farms Tyre tracks from farmer Jimmie McKeown's truck can be seen on his drought ravaged land near the town of Walgett in New South Wales Reuters Australia's drought – the cancer eating away at farms Dead trees on Scott Cooper's South Park farm Reuters Australia's drought – the cancer eating away at farms Farmer Ash Whitney stands on the back of his truck as he feeds his cattle on his land near the town of Gunnedah in New South Wales Reuters Australia's drought – the cancer eating away at farms An irrigated paddock can be seen next to a ploughed paddock on a farm located on the outskirts of the town of Mudgee in New South Wales Reuters Australia's drought – the cancer eating away at farms A windmill and solar panels on Scott Cooper's South Park farm Reuters Australia's drought – the cancer eating away at farms An old bus used for storing farming equipment stands on farmer Ash Whitney's land near the town of Gunnedah in New South Wales Reuters Australia's drought – the cancer eating away at farms A kangaroo casts a shadow as it drinks from a water tank on Ash Whitney's farm Reuters Australia's drought – the cancer eating away at farms An old Sydney tram sits on Jimmie and May McKeown's land near the town of Walgett in New South Wales Reuters Australia's drought – the cancer eating away at farms Patterns created by a plough can be seen on Ash Whitney's farm Reuters Australia's drought – the cancer eating away at farms Farmer Ash Whitney stands in the middle of a dried-up dam Reuters Australia's drought – the cancer eating away at farms Sheeps eat grain on a farm near Tamworth in New South Wales Reuters Australia's drought – the cancer eating away at farms A road can be seen next to tracks leading to a water tank on Ash Whitney's farm Reuters Australia's drought – the cancer eating away at farms A lone tree stands near a water trough on Jimmie and May McKeown's farm Reuters

Artist Ralph Turner discovered the shocking scene last week when he went to investigate the pool’s water levels.

He told ABC News that he had never witnessed an animal death of this scale in the region.

“We’ve been having hot weather, day after day. We found all these poor horses, all perished,” Mr Turner said.

“It’s just terrible to know these beautiful animals died this way,” he added.

Australia has been in the grip of a searing heatwave for the past fortnight, notching five of its 10 hottest days on record.

Temperatures in Alice Springs are forecast to reach 43C this week, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

A town in New South Wales recorded a night-time low temperature of 35.9C – Australia’s highest minimum temperature on record – and in Adelaide dozens of people were taken to hospital due to heat-related conditions.