A young man from Comrat was sentenced to 5 years and 4 months in prison after he, when driving under the influence of alcohol, caused an accident in which a child died and several people were injured, IPN reports.

The tragedy occurred last summer on Lenin St in Comrat municipality. Then, the 25-year-old defendant was driving a BMW car while heavily inebriated. He changed lanes and collided head-on with another car. The driver and passengers of the damaged car suffered medium and serious injuries, and a minor died.

The young man is in pre-trial detention until the sentence becomes final. According to the Prosecutor General's Office, this is not the first criminal offense committed by the defendant. Previously, he was sentenced to community service for hooliganism.

In addition to the imprisonment, the Comrat Court also ordered the defendant to pay over 2.2 million lei in respect of pecuniary and non-pecuniary damage. The sentence is subject to appeal.