Survivor of Minneapolis Explosion Watched Walls Buckle

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - A survivor of a Minneapolis apartment explosion that killed two people says he watched his walls buckled around him.

Abdi Qobey says he was sitting in bed watching television early on New Year's Day when he heard the "boom."

The walls crumbled around the 59-year-old, and the only illumination in the hallway outside his apartment came from flames.

He says a police officer outside his second-story window beckoned him to jump.

Qobey suffered fractures in both legs and a back injury, but he says he's glad to be alive.

Qobey spoke Friday from his hospital bed in Minneapolis.

Nine people still were hospitalized Friday, including three in critical condition.