Two right feet, both male and lodged in size 12 running shoes, recently showed up on two islands in British Columbia's Strait of Georgia.

The discovery of the two human feet within the space of a week has prompted speculation that they may belong to men who died in the ocean following a plane or a boating accident.

"We have been informed that it looks like both feet had separated from the body by natural decomposition, possibly while in the water,'' said Cpl. Garry Cox of Oceanside RCMP on Vancouver Island.

The first was discovered Aug. 20 on Jedediah Island by a 12-year-old girl from Washington state, who found a black-and-white Adidas shoe with a sock and foot still inside.

The second was found six days later on Gabriola Island by a Vancouver couple who were hiking along the beach when they came upon a Reebok running shoe with human remains inside.

Cox said a cleanly cut foot would have been very suspicious, but natural decomposition suggests the victims may have drowned.

"Both feet were decomposing, but still had flesh on them," said Vancouver Island regional coroner Rose Stanton.

Stanton said the B.C. Coroners Service is conducting DNA tests on the feet in a bid to identify them.

Meanwhile, police have been left to ponder the odds against finding two male feet wearing size 12 running shoes within the space of a week. They are so astronomically high, they defy description, Cox said.