BEIJING: China has deployed 10 satellites to help in the massive air and sea search for a missing Malaysian airliner, the People's Liberation Army Daily said on Tuesday.

The satellites will use high-resolution earth imaging capabilities, visible light imaging and other technologies to”support and assist in the search and rescue operations for the Malaysian Airlines aircraft”, the newspaper said in an article that was also carried on the defence ministry's website.

Dozens of ships and aircraft from 10 countries scoured these as around Malaysia and south of Vietnam as questions mounted over possible security lapses and whether a bomb or hijacking attempt could have brought down the Boeing 777-200ER which took off from the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur.

China has urged Malaysia to speed up the search for the plane. About two-thirds of the 227 passengers and 12 crew now presumed to have died aboard the plane were Chinese.

The Chinese satellites will also help in weather monitoring,communication and search operations in the area where the plane disappeared, the newspaper said.

China will also strengthen the Beidou navigation system's satellite monitoring capabilities to “provide reliable navigation for the rescue operations and communication support”.