Sri Lanka declared a state of emergency on Saturday and appealed for international assistance as the death toll from floods and mudslides triggered by Cyclone Ditwah rose to 153, with another 191 people missing.

The extreme weather system has destroyed more than 20,000 homes, sending 108,000 people to state-run temporary shelters, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) reported.

A further 798,000 people required assistance after being temporarily displaced by the floods, DMC spokesman Pradeep Kodippili said.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake invoked emergency powers, granting him sweeping authority to manage the aftermath of the devastation caused by a week of torrential rain across the island.

Kodippili confirmed that 153 people had been killed.

Among them were 11 residents of an elde

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