At least 482 Syrian refugees have been transferred to the passenger ship ‘Eleftherios Venizelos’, docked at the port of Kos.

The vessel is expected to remain in Kos for two weeks, before it is replaced by another vessel. The refugees were escorted onto the ship under heavy security measures by police and port authorities.The development comes as a bid to alleviate overcrowding at several makeshift camps on the eastern Aegean island, as Turkish migrant smugglers continue to sneak thousands of third world nationals onto Greece’s islands, most claiming to be Syrians fleeing war zones.

Meanwhile, the body of what’s believed to be a missing 16-year-old Syrian national was found washed up on a the remote beach on the same island.