  We report here gamma-ray, X-ray and near-infrared observations of GRB040223
along with gamma-ray and optical observations of GRB040624. GRB040223 was
detected by INTEGRAL close to the Galactic plane and GRB040624 at high Galactic
latitude. Analyses of the prompt emission detected by the IBIS instrument on
INTEGRAL are presented for both bursts. The two GRBs have long durations, slow
pulses and are weak. The gamma-ray spectra of both bursts are best fit with
steep power-laws, implying they are X-ray rich. GRB040223 is among the weakest
and longest of INTEGRAL GRBs. The X-ray afterglow of this burst was detected 10
hours after the prompt event by XMM-Newton. The measured spectral properties
are consistent with a column density much higher than that expected from the
Galaxy, indicating strong intrinsic absorption. We carried out near-infrared
observations 17 hours after the burst with the NTT of ESO, which yielded upper
limits. Given the intrinsic absorption, we find that these limits are
compatible with a simple extrapolation of the X-ray afterglow properties. For
GRB040624, we carried out optical observations 13 hours after the burst with
FORS 1 and 2 at the VLT, and DOLoRes at the TNG, again obtaining upper limits.
We compare these limits with the magnitudes of a compilation of promptly
observed counterparts of previous GRBs and show that they lie at the very faint
end of the distribution. These two bursts are good examples of a population of
bursts with dark or faint afterglows that are being unveiled through the
increasing usage of large diameter telescopes engaged in comprehensive
observational programmes.
