feet running shoes
© RCMP/Reuters/LandovSome of the running shoes found in recent years on beaches along the US-Canadian border... with the fleshy remains of human feet still inside them
The BC Coroners Service confirms that a second foot found washed up near Port Renfrew on the west coast of Vancouver Island is human and matches another foot that was found several days earlier in the same area.

The first foot was found by a hiker on Feb. 7 and a second running shoe containing a foot was found last Friday.

The Coroners Service says it appears both feet separated naturally from the rest of the body due to prolonged immersion in water and there is no indication of trauma or mechanical severance.

Efforts are now under way to try to identify the individual concerned and determine a cause of death using DNA testing.

The men's New Balance running shoes containing the feet were first sold in North America in March 2013, which suggests the wearer died at some point between that month and December 2015.

Fourteen feet have now washed up along the B.C. coastline since 2007. The BC Coroners Service has identified 10 of the previous 12 feet, belonging to seven individuals.

Foul play was not involved in any of the cases.