On the evening of November 10, 2025, a normal evening in Delhi suddenly turned into terror. A massive explosion occurred in a car parked outside Gate No. 1 of Lal Kilah Metro Station. The blast was so powerful that several nearby vehicles were engulfed in flames, and the glass windows of nearby shops and houses were shattered. Residents of the area said they felt as if “the ground shook.” In a matter of seconds, the calm atmosphere turned into chaos.
Why does glass break after explosion?
It is common for glass to break in buildings after any type of explosion—whether a bomb blast, a gas cylinder explosion, or an industrial blast. This is due to an important scientific phenomenon known as “shock waves”.
A wave of high-pressure air suddenly spreads outward from the center of the explosion. It is many times more powerful than a normal sound wave. This wave immediately increases the air pressure in the atmosphere. When this increased pressure is applied to a surface such as a wall, door or glass, it does not withstand the shock. Glass breaks first because it is hard but not flexible.
Glass can withstand slight changes in pressure, but it cannot withstand sudden increases in pressure from a shock wave. Hence, even the panes of distant windows are broken. Videos of the Delhi blast and eyewitness accounts confirm that glass windows and doors of nearby buildings were found shattered. Glass fragments were found scattered in several shops. This clearly shows that the shock wave had a powerful effect in this event as well.