Pleven prosecutors have charged a 20-year-old driver and held him for 72 hours over a crash near the village of Yasen that killed four people, the prosecutor's office said. They will ask Pleven District Court to keep him in custody.

Prosecutors say the young man broke traffic rules and drove too fast for the conditions. His car left its lane and went into the oncoming lane. They say the four people died through his negligence.

He was named as a defendant right after he left hospital, where he had spent a long time recovering from injuries he suffered in the crash.

The prosecutor in charge of the case ordered him held to make sure he appears in court. Prosecutors say there is a real risk he would go into hiding, given the high danger the offence poses to the public and the heavy sentence he faces.

For now, the charge rests on the evidence gathered so far. Forensic medical reports, vehicle technical reports and other expert findings in the pre-trial investigation are not ready yet, but the prosecutor's office said work on them is under way.

The offence is classed as a particularly serious case. The Criminal Code sets a penalty of 15 to 20 years in prison for such a crime.