Moroccan officials are trying to determine if a massive explosion that killed more than a dozen people at a café in Marrakech was an act of terrorism.

At least 14 people died in the blast Thursday. Twenty others were wounded, government spokesman Khalid Naciri said.

Naciri added that he "cannot be specific until investigators have drawn conclusions."

"[Authorities] regularly discover terrorist cells ... [but] nothing led us to believe, or foresee, an act of this magnitude," he told a reporter.

"Morocco has an international image of welcome, hospitality, and tourism," he said during a telephone interview. "An act of this magnitude will leave traces."

The explosion took place around midday, one of the busiest times at the market where the café is located.  The square is a UNESCO World Heritage site often frequented by Western tourists.

If confirmed as a terrorist act, the event would be Morocco's deadliest bombing in eight years.

No one has claimed responsibility for the explosion, but al Qaeda has targeted Morocco in the past.