Video | Many tourists killed in Morocco cafe blast

A powerful explosion has killed at least 14 people, including foreigners, in a busy cafe in the Moroccan tourist destination of Marrakesh, and authorities said the initial signs were that it was an act terrorism.

28 April 2011, 12:00am

1 min read

The blast ripped through the second storey of a cafe overlooking Marrakesh's Jamaa el-Fnaa square, a spot usually frequented by hundreds of foreign tourists.

Reports suggest that the explosion was triggered by a suicide bomber, however there was no immediate confirmation of this.

The roof over the restaurant's upstairs terrace was ripped off by the force of the explosion and pieces of plaster and electrical wires hung from the ceiling.

Morocco’s Interior Ministry issued a statement saying the explosion killed 14 people, including an undisclosed number of foreigners, and injured another 20 people.

The official news agency said an investigation was under way to determine the cause of the explosion.

The blast is likely to hurt Morocco's tourism trade -- a major source of revenue -- which is already struggling to recover from the effects of the global downturn.