A Chinese court sentenced a man to death for holding six women as sex slaves in an underground prison and killing two of them, Xinhua news agency said on Friday.

Li Hao, 35, was convicted of murder and rape in Luoyang Intermediate People's Court in China's central Henan province, Xinhua said.

Media reported in 2011 that the former local government employee kidnapped six nightclub and karaoke bar workers and repeatedly raped them in a self-built dungeon. Two of the six were found dead when a 23-year-old woman escaped and led police to the basement.

Li forced them all into prostitution and filmed them in pornographic videos he put on the internet, Xinhua said. He then instructed three women to kill two of the other captives.

The three women were found guilty of murder but were given lenient sentences. One was jailed for three years and two were put on probation, Xinhua said.