A six-month survey by the shipping ministry, ordered after a previous ferry disaster, found 40 of the 2,136 registered ferries were unfit or "D category," a shipping ministry source said.

Shipping Minister Akbar Hossain said Wednesday that the ministry would take "tough" action to force unfit ferries out of the water, but other vessels would be allowed to continue their routes once they are repaired and meet safety requirements.

"I know we will be under pressure from some quarters, including owners, but we will go ahead as we cannot allow such tragedies," he said after 181 people were killed in two separate ferry accidents in stormy weather Monday.

The MV Mitali sank in the Buriganga river near Dhaka, killing at least 129 of its 200 to 300 passengers. Some swam to safety, but police cannot confirm if anyone is still missing because the boat had no passenger manifest, a common omission in Bangladesh.

A second accident, in the northern Kishoreganj district 80 kilometresmiles) from Dhaka, 52 people were declared dead after a ferry carrying a bridal party capsized.

Divers have found five bloated bodies, but cannot trace the ferry in the Meghna river.

Ferry accidents are common in Bangladesh, which is criss-crossed by about 230 rivers. They are blamed mainly on overcrowding, faulty design or operators who ignore storm warnings.

In a bid to stop further disasters, the government Wednesday ordered a temporary ban on ferry operation for five hours from 3:00 pm each day -- when storms usually hit tropical Bangladesh at this time of year.

Some ferry owners have protested the ban and have threatened to suspend services until it is lifted, media reports said Thursday.

Since 1977, some 260 ferry accidents have claimed the lives of more than 3,000 people.

More storms loom on the horizon in coming weeks, the South Asian nation's meteorological department has forecast.

SPACE.WIRE