Indonesian authorities raised the alert to the highest level for Mount Sinabung volcano on Sumatra after it erupted 8 times overnight, an official said Sunday, according to dpa. The new eruptions forced thousands of villagers to flee their homes, bringing the number of people displaced to 12,300 since the volcano began spewing hot ash last month, said Sutopo Nugroho, spokesman for the National Disaster Management Agency. "We are in urgent need of trucks to move people, food, blankets and medical assistance," Nugroho said. Mount Sinabung in the province of North Sumatra had been dormant for 400 years before it erupted in August 2010. There are nearly 130 active volcanoes across the Indonesian archipelago.
