Tsunami inundation after the Great East Japan Earthquake and mortality of affected communities

•We examined the factors affecting the mortality by the 2011 Tsunami in Ishinomaki, Japan.•Mortality rate was associated with inundation depth for all of Ishinomaki.•However, there was no association between the two factors for the ria coastal area.•The landform seemed to play crucial roles in the lower mortality of the ria coastal area.