Police have seized radios in connection with a train accident that killed four workers on the tracks north of Tokyo, an investigative source said Sunday, as they seek to determine whether the communication devices were used properly.
Police in Tochigi Prefecture searched a Tobu Railway Co. group company Sunday on suspicion of professional negligence resulting in death.
The police suspect the group company, Tobu Kensetsu based in Nikko in the prefecture, failed to ensure the safety of the workers due to poor coordination, seizing 30 items in total including contract documents.
They plan to examine how the radios were used, as communication problems among the lookouts may have caused the fatal accident.
Investigators were told that the relay and train lookouts at the site were unable to communicate with each other, according to the source.
The four workers were on the tracks removing weeds when the accident occurred at around 10:45 a.m. Thursday at Shin-kanuma Station on the Tobu Nikko Line.
At the time, 10 workers employed by several companies were engaged in the work, with seven clearing weeds and three acting as lookouts.
One of those who died was a site supervisor employed by
Tobu Kensetsu.
According to Tobu Railway, when working on railway tracks, a designated lookout is required to visually check for approaching trains and warn workers to move away.
After confirming that all workers have left the tracks, the lookout signals to the train driver with a flag. The driver is required to acknowledge the signal by sounding the horn.
