Colombo, Nov. 29 -- Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Saturday issued an extraordinary gazette notification declaring a state of public emergency in Sri Lanka.

The gazette notification has been issued in the wake of the widespread destruction left by Cyclone Ditwah.

Sri Lanka has appealed for international assistance as the death toll from heavy rains and floods triggered by Cyclone Ditwah rose to 123, with another 130 reported missing, Al Jazeera reported.

The extreme weather system has destroyed nearly 15,000 homes across the country, sending almost 44,000 people to state-run temporary shelters, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said on Saturday.

Although Cyclone Ditwah was heading towards neighbouring India to the...