On this day - 31 January

The 1953 North Sea flood began on the evening of January 31st 1953 and flooding continued into the next morning. Sea water extensively flooded land, particularly affecting the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Belgium. Land up to 5.6 metres above sea level was affected. 1836 were killed in the Netherlands and over 300 were killed in the UK. Many ships around the coasts of northern Europe were damaged or sunk as a result of the flood.

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