CANBERRA, Jan. 4 (Xinhuanet) -- Prime Minister and Vice President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum's body will be flown home shortly.

    Maktoum died at the luxury Palazzo Versace hotel in Gold Coast of Australia's eastern state of Queesland on Wednesday afternoon, Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio reported.

    Jim Carden from the Brisbane Airport Corporation was quoted as saying a special Emirates jumbo jet Boeing 747-400 is on stand-by to fly Maktoum's body home.

    "The plane belonging to his highness and the royal party is currently being refueled in preparation for the transportation of his highness's body back to Dubai in order to observe the customary burial," he said.

    Maktoum must be buried in Dubai by sunset Thursday according to Muslim tradition.

    "We recognize the cultural urgency in terms of getting his body back to his homeland for burial," he said.

    "We pulled out all stops in terms of setting up special security and baggage processing out of the public gaze to fast-track their requirements," he said.

    Maktoum arrived in Brisbane on Dec. 28 and there has been no confirmed report of the cause of his death. Enditem