Tsunami town hit by typhoon

A TYPHOON has slammed into northern Japan, threatening to bring floods to an area still recovering from the 2011 tsunami.

Typhoon Lionrock made landfall near the city of Ofunato, about 300 miles north-east of Tokyo.

Even before the storm hit land it had paralysed traffic, caused blackouts and prompted officials to urge residents to flee the 78mph winds.

More than 170,000 people were subject to evacuation, including 38,000 in Ofunato, though only some of them actually went to shelters.

More than 10,000 homes were without electricity, with power lines downed by the winds.

The March 2011 earthquake and tsunami left more than 18,000 people dead on Japan’s northern coast, including 340 in Ofunato.