A 35-year-old man, who works for a technology company, is feared dead in a high-speed collision on the Kalindi Kunj bridge, while his wife and 10-month-old daughter were seriously injured after the motorcycle he was riding they were was hit from behind by a car, throwing him over the railing and into the Yamuna river, police said on Saturday.

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As of late Saturday night, nearly 24 hours after the accident, authorities and rescue officials were still searching the river for the victim.

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Police said the incident took place around 8.30 pm on Friday when the family was returning from Noida to their home in south-east Delhi’s Abul Fazal enclave. A Maruti Brezza, allegedly speeding, rammed Shami’s Yamaha FZ bike from behind, causing it to be thrown into the river. At the same time, his wife, Arshi Rafiq, and their daughter suffered injuries, investigators said.

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Eyewitnesses and friends of Mohammad Shami – the victim, who works as a senior technology specialist at an international digital technology and transformation services company – said the impact was so severe that even the 10-month-old was thrown in the air, but was only saved by the bridge railing, which redirected her fall onto the path.

The child survived with leg fractures and is undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Sarita Vihar, according to Shami’s friend Yash Singh.

Shami’s wife Arshi Rafiq, 30, suffered spinal cord fractures in the accident and is admitted to the same hospital, Singh said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (South East) Ravi Kumar Singh said the Kalindi Kunj police received an emergency call on Friday evening reporting the accident. When the police arrived, they found Shami’s motorcycle on the bridge, badly damaged, along with broken parts of the car.

Investigators said the debris appeared to suggest the driver of the offending car fled the scene after the crash.

“Inquiries have confirmed that Mohammad Shami, a resident of Abul Fazal enclave near Shaheen Bagh, was thrown into the Yamuna following the impact. His wife and daughter are currently in the hospital and a search operation has been launched immediately to find him,” said DCP Singh.

A first information report (FIR) of rash and negligent driving causing grievous hurt has been registered under sections 281 and 125 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at the Kalindi Kunj police station.

The errant driver of the car that committed the crime was identified with the help of the broken parts of the vehicle and by scanning the CCTV cameras installed on the route he took after the accident, police said. Raids are on to arrest him, police said.

Authorities suspect that the driver may have been intoxicated.

Professional divers and members of a boat club rescue team have been working with police and other agencies in an attempt to search the river since Friday night, police said. However, their efforts have yet to yield any results.

Eyewitnesses and locals have expressed concern over the 2-3 feet low railings on the Kalindi Kunj bridge, which lack the guardrails installed on other major bridges in Delhi.

“Unlike the ITO and Shastri Park Yamuna bridges, where iron fencing is being done, there are no such safety grills installed on the carriageway of the Kalindi Kunj bridge connecting Delhi to Noida. Similar incidents have taken place in the past due to this reason,” said Ram Prakash, an auto driver.

Singh, a friend of Shami’s for over a decade, said the couple was returning to their home in Abul Fazal in Noida with their daughter the night the accident occurred.

He said he rushed to the bridge after receiving a call from Shami’s family and stayed there until Saturday afternoon, hoping his friend would return. “I was hoping they would find his body or somehow he would turn up alive,” he said.

Shami’s family members, who had traveled from his hometown in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, were present on the river banks, eagerly awaiting news as the search continued till Saturday evening.