A man who caused a gas explosion at a Beijing apartment building after trying to cover a murder has been sentenced to death, local media reported on Monday.

Beijing resident Wu Xiangdong strangled his married former lover at her apartment in August last year after the two "fell out" after breaking up, the Beijing News said, citing the Beijing Second Intermediate People's Court.

Wu then laid her body on her bed and left gas running at the apartment to try to pass her death off as a poisoning, but the woman's husband came home and triggered the explosion when he tried to turn the gas off, the paper said.

"The explosion caused damage to more than 30 homes in the building," the paper said, injuring the husband and two others.

Police discovered the true cause of the woman's death and detained Wu two days later.

The court found Wu guilty of homicide and endangering public safety and also ordered him to pay 640,000 yuan ($94,000) to the victim's family, the paper said.