SEOUL, Jan 10 (Reuters) - The Seoul subway authority will install toilets in drivers' compartments after one of its engineers plunged to his death, apparently relieving himself from a train that was in motion.

The Seoul Metro plans to provide nearly 400 toilets from this month in drivers' cabs and increase the number of staff bathrooms at stations, a spokesman said on Thursday.

"A major concern is the smell," said Kim Kyung-mo.

The incident that prompted the move took place in December when a driver apparently suffering from diarrhoea leaned out of his compartment and fell on the tracks. He was hit by another train, local media reported.

The toilets consist of a collapsible seat that stands a few centimetres (inches) off the ground and a receptacle. The device can be stored in a compartment about the size of a thick briefcase.

"Seoul Metro believes this step will help our staff better focus on transporting our citizens safely," it said in a news release. (Reporting by Rhee So-eui and Mee Hyo Koo, writing by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Keiron Henderson)

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