Morocco: Marrakesh bomb strikes Djemaa el-Fna square
Baku, April 28 (AZERTAC). A bomb attack in the main square in the Moroccan city of Marrakesh has killed at least 14 people and injured 20, some of them foreigners, officials say.
The explosion ripped through the Argana cafe in Djemaa el-Fna square, a popular tourist destination.
The interior ministry said evidence now pointed to a bomb attack after initial reports suggested a gas explosion.
Morocco has seen two months of protests against King Mohammed VI amid a tide of uprisings across the region.
The last major terrorist attack in Morocco was in 2003 in the city of Casablanca - 45 people, including a number of suicide bombers, were killed.
Moroccan government spokesman Khalid Naciri told French television that Thursday`s casualties involved a number of nationalities but he would not confirm any as yet.
"We worked... on the hypothesis that this could... be accidental. But initial results of the investigation confirm that we are confronted with a true criminal act," he said.
Mr. Naciri later said that "terrorists" were behind the attack but added that it was "too soon" to give more details.
A medical source told AFP news agency that 11 of the dead were foreigners, including five women, but this has not been independently confirmed.
AFP later quoted Moroccan TV as saying six French nationals had been killed.
Paris has confirmed there are French victims, but gave no further details.
The office of President Nicolas Sarkozy condemned the attack as "cruel and cowardly".
King Mohammed has ordered a "speedy and transparent inquiry" into the attack and demanded the public be informed of the results, a royal communique said.
Witnesses described hearing a huge blast that sent debris flying into the air.
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