KATHMANDU (AFP) - Nepalese authorities ordered the closure of Kathmandu airport on Tuesday after a new earthquake killed at least four people and sparked panic in the capital.

"The airport is closed for operations right now," Birendra Prasad Shrestha, manager at Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport, told AFP.

Earlier on Monday, the airport was closed for one hour at noon following trouble on the runway, Xinhua news agency reported.