A single anonymous donor has given enough cash to allow Bermuda to hire a jet to send aid to Haiti, Premier Ewart Brown has revealed.

The financial gift — which Dr. Brown announced on his Facebook page yesterday afternoon — will go towards the $60,000 cost of sending an American Airlines jet loaded with water, milk and medical supplies to Port-au-Prince.

The Premier announced on Friday that Government was considering selling seats on board the aircraft for $10,000 each. He and his wife Wanda have since personally donated $10,000 towards the hire of the plane.

Dr. Brown wrote on his Facebook page: "A single anonymous donor took us over the line today! Stay tuned for details on the AA-Bermuda Haiti project."

The Premier's press secretary did not respond to a request for more information last night.

Senator Marc Bean, who is coordinating Bermuda's official aid response to the magnitude 7.0 earthquake which hit the Caribbean country on January 12, told The Royal Gazette he was not yet able to give any further details.

But earlier in the week he revealed that three organisations had verbally pledged to match Dr. and Mrs. Brown's donation.

The idea of selling seats on the plane to individuals who would get to spend a few hours in the Haitian capital prompted criticism from some, including Opposition Senator Jeanne Atherden. She described it as "superficial and disconnected from the reality of the catastrophe".

The Shadow Community and Cultural Affairs Minister said: "Haiti is not the place to send 'tourists', no matter the intent. This is not a tourism promotion."

A statement posted on the Progressive Labour Party's website afterwards said: "If there's ever a time for Bermudians of all political parties to come together, it's now.

"This is not the time to throw cold water on an effort to raise money for humanitarian relief. This is not the time to oppose for opposition's sake. This is the time to come together. Lives are at stake and we need to be doing everything we can to encourage donations, not discourage them."

The statement added: "Encouraging philanthropy by example is exactly what Premier Ewart Brown and his wife Wanda were doing when they donated $10,000 and challenged Bermuda companies and organisations to raise an additional $50,000 to fully fund the transport of a [Boeing] 737 full of milk, water and medical supplies to Haiti.

"This is an example of good leadership. Premier Brown called attention to an opportunity to help, made a generous commitment himself and challenged Bermuda to match him."

A senior business source told this newspaper: "My view is that any idea that gets help to Haiti is a good thing but I worry how much of this money that people are paying will actually get to the people of Haiti and how much will get wrapped up in the cost of the plane.

"On the surface it seems like a good touchy-feely idea but I think in most of these situations, quite often it's best to leave provision of supplies to the official bodies who know where to deliver it."