Three young people had the scare of their lives on May 20 after venturing onto the tracks of a train in Toronto.

It is with the aim of raising awareness of the risks of riding on a railway that the public transport company Metrolinx shared a video of this event on Monday.

“The video is chilling and can be awe-inspiring to watch. Miraculously, the youths were not seriously injured, but are likely traumatized after [nearly avoiding the GO Train],” a statement read.

On May 20, the three young people ventured on an overpass overlooking the Humber River in the greater Toronto area when a train crossed their path.

The crew had to act quickly in order to avoid a tragedy. The emergency brakes were then applied and let out a loud honk.

“Incidents like this are too often tragic and life changing not only for loved ones, but also for the crew and first responders involved,” Metrolinx recalled.

Metrolinx took the opportunity to appeal to the parents of these young people to get in touch with them. "We don't want to punish them, but we want to talk with your kids to help educate them and make sure they never take this kind of risk again," said Steve Weir, head of customer protection services at Metrolinx.

According to Operation Beware, every year more than 100 Canadians are seriously injured or even killed while crossing a railway. Almost all of these incidents could be avoided, experts say.