Dhaka, Nov. 29 -- Sri Lanka declared a state of emergency on Saturday and appealed for international assistance as the death toll from heavy rains and flooding caused by Cyclone Ditwah rose to 132, with a further 176 people reported missing.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake invoked emergency laws, granting him wide powers to respond to the devastation following a week of torrential rain across the island.

"We have 132 confirmed dead and another 176 missing," DMC Director-General Sampath Kotuwegoda said, adding that relief efforts had been strengthened with the deployment of the army, navy and air force.

Nearly 78,000 people have been displaced and are in temporary shelters, the South Asian country's disaster management center said. ...