Mexico - Thousands of fish have died in Mexico as the country's extreme heat wave dried up an entire lake to nothing more than a cracked lake bottom.

Lake Bustillos in the state of Chihuahua has lost more than half of its water, authorities announced on Wednesday.

The low water level could reportedly lead to a high concentration of pollutants as well as threaten animals, plants, and their local ecosystem.

After all, if the fish die, then every animal that was eating or interacting with those fish could also die in a domino effect.

Animals Giraffes may soon end up on endangered list, US officials warn

The first dead fish were discovered about a week ago on the cracked ground in dried-up areas of the lake.

Removing the decomposing fish carcasses has served to be a difficult task because disposal vehicles have been getting stuck in the mud.

Despite this impediment, resourceful volunteers have already put lime over the dead animals to prevent the spread of disease.

Mexico has been struggling with extreme levels of heat and drought for weeks, with high-temperature records being broken in several cities including the country's capital of Mexico City.

According to the health authorities from Mexico, 125 people have tragically died as a result of the heat wave since mid-March.