A woman mourns the loss of a relative in the ferry disaster

In the first incident, 107 passengers - many of them children - died after a ferry capsized in a sudden storm on the River Buriganga in Narayanganj, a town near the capital, Dhaka.

Officials have now told ferry operators not to sail in the afternoon and evening to avoid sudden storms.

The fate of at least 50 passengers whose boat capsized in the same storm in Kishorganj district north-east of Dhaka is still unclear.

Rescue workers are searching for more bodies from the sunken ship - 200 people are still missing.

Only a handful of bodies have so far been found from the boat, which was carrying people for a wedding party.

Peak times

Shipping Minister, Akbar Hossain, told the BBC the decision banning ferry operations for five hours during the stormy season had been communicated to the ferry owners.

He said the move takes effect from Wednesday and was taken because Bangladesh usually witnesses violent storms between 1500 and 2000 local time.

Ferry accidents are common in Bangladesh, where boats are often overcrowded and lack safety equipment.

Bangladesh's president, prime minister and opposition leader have all offered separate messages of condolence.

A spokesman for the International Red Cross said staff were at the scene near Dhaka helping with rescue efforts and providing trauma counselling to survivors and the bereaved.

Distraught

At Narayanganj the fire brigade, police and locals are looking for survivors, although several passengers managed to swim to safety or were rescued.

I could not save my daughter. I've no right to live. Hasina Begum survivor

Rescue workers are tapping on the upturned hull of the ferry searching for pockets of air in which there may be trapped survivors.

Meanwhile, distraught relatives have gathered by the riverside to identify the bodies of their loved ones.

School teacher Hasina Begum wept as she told reporters how her two-year-old daughter Mithila had died on the ferry from Dhaka.

"I could not save my daughter. I've no right to live. My little daughter wanted to see Dhaka City," she told the Associated Press.

The bodies of many victims were recovered after being spotted floating in the river or washing up on the shore, reports say.

Police say they cannot confirm how many people remain unaccounted for.

Authorities have been hampered by the fact that both incidents happened late in the day and neither vessel had detailed passenger lists.

Government warnings

Last week, at least 23 people died after a boat capsized, again in Kishorganj, during a heavy storm on the Naghchini River.

And at least 70 people drowned on 4 April after a ferry capsized at Chatak, 250 kilometres (160 miles) north-east of Dhaka.

The Bangladeshi Government has said it is determined to improve safety on the thousands of ferries that ply Bangladesh's innumerable rivers and waterways.

Rescue workers look for survivors in the hull

However such accidents have continued to occur.

Throughout the last week, the government has warned people through television advertisements not to travel on overcrowded ferries during the stormy season of April and early May.

But for many people, ferries remain the only viable form of transport, our correspondent says.