It was important for the development of coal mining in southern Limburg (terminated in the 1970s), since it is suited for larger ships than the older Zuid-Willemsvaart, which runs from 's-Hertogenbosch to Maastricht, partly through Belgium.

The Juliana Canal runs parallel to the Meuse, at maximum 3 km east of the river.

Because of the difference in height, the canal couldn't be built in the ground, so the constructors made huge dikes.

The bottom of the canal was then covered with a thick layer of rocks, coming from the river Meuse.

When a man walking on the dike suddenly saw that the path in front of him had just disappeared, he called the firefighters.

In the evening, the old centre of Stein was evacuated, while massive amounts of water were only held back by sandbags.

An 80-year-old water supply line, which had not been in use anymore and was forgotten, but which was still under pressure, started to leak, causing the dike to erode from the inside out.