Beijing, Dec 9 (IANS): China offered another 65 tonnes of fresh water to the Maldives via civil airplane, the Chinese foreign ministry said Monday.

The fresh water was donated by the Chinese government and Chinese businesses in Sri Lanka and the Maldives, which have already sent 20 tonnes of fresh water via civil airplane to the archipelago, the ministry said in a statement.

Water services in the capital Male were shut down Thursday after a crippling fire damaged crucial components of the island's sole desalination facility, the Male Water and Sewerages Company (MWSC), leaving thousands of people without water for bathing, cleaning, and cooking.

Maldives has no natural water source and consumes only treated sea water.

Two planes of the Chinese Air Force had flown 40 tonnes of fresh water to Male Monday.

The Chinese government had also reportedly donated $500,000 to the Maldives government to speed up the repairs of a desalination plant and restore water supply to the capital.