A teenager has been charged with culpable driving over a fiery car crash that killed four teenagers – including two Greek Cypriots – on the West Gate Freeway in December 2007.

Police have not yet named the 19-year-old from Kings Park, in Melbourne’s west, but major collisions police have charged him with four counts of culpable driving, one of reckless conduct endangering life and one of reckless conduct endangering a person.

On December 9, 2007, Peter Stavrou, 17, of Taylors Lakes, Hasan Burke, 18, of Ardeer, Salih Niyazi, 18, of Taylors Lakes, and George Loizou, 17 of Sunshine West died when the Holden Commodore they were in slid across the West Gate Freeway at Altona North and ploughed backwards into trees.

The car burst into flames on impact, the bodies so badly burnt that the police disaster victim identification unit was called to identify them.

The teenagers were returning from schoolies week celebrations on the Mornington Peninsula.

Police alleged that the man facing charges was driving another vehicle on the freeway at the time of the crash, and that the accident might have been caused by two cars apparently racing at speeds of up to 160 km/h.

The 19-year-old will appear in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 13 May.