Tokyo ( CNN ) -- Rescuers searched typhoon-swept waters off South Korea 's Jeju Island Tuesday for 28 Chinese fishermen missing in the wake of Typhoon Bolaven , a ferocious storm that headed for the Korean Peninsula after making landfall on Okinawa . Maritime police on Jeju Island said six people had been rescued but searches were on for the others after two boats capsized early Tuesday as Bolaven raged . Okinawa , meanwhile , emerged relatively unscathed after the typhoon swept it with maximum sustained winds near its center of 185 kilometers per hour ( 115 mph ) , according to the Hong Kong Observatory , which monitors storms in the region . That wind strength put Bolaven in the `` super typhoon '' category . And with a cloud field of 2,000 kilometers ( 1,250 miles ) , it was 20 times larger than Okinawa 's length . But the island , which is situated in an area of the western Pacific Ocean where typhoons are frequent , avoided the kind of destruction that some other storms have caused in East Asia this summer . Five people were injured in Okinawa , the local authorities said , and 549 residents took shelter in public buildings to avoid potential damage to their homes . About 17,500 households lost electricity as the storm damaged power lines . Storm chaser James Reynolds was on the northwestern coast of the island during the worst of the typhoon . `` Like the rest of the population we all just kind of holed up in the strong and sturdy buildings which make up Okinawa , '' he said Monday . The infrastructure on Okinawa is designed to withstand violent storms . `` Everything 's made of solid concrete , '' Reynolds said . The damage was also limited because Bolaven did n't bring winds as powerful as initially feared , said Morichiyo Ohshiro , an official from the Okinawa Prefecture Disaster Prevention and Crisis Management Division . North of Okinawa , the Amami Islands suffered a major power outage as a result of the typhoon . According to Kyushu Electric Power Corporation , which provides power to the area , 56,300 households were without power as of Monday morning . All residents of about 2,540 households on Yoron , one of the islands in the chain , were advised by the local authorities to relocate to nearby public facilities as the storm made its way northward . President Lee Myung-bak of South Korea on Monday called on government agencies to take measures to minimize damage from the approaching storm , the national news agency Yonhap reported , citing Park Jeong-ha , a spokesman for Lee . Isaac near hurricane strength ; watch extends to Louisiana . Typhoon Tembin made landfall in southern Taiwan a few days ago , and was expected to work its way toward Hong Kong . But Bolaven , which is much stronger , has stopped Tembin 's movement toward Hong Kong and has been spinning it around . Time : Most destructive U.S. hurricanes . `` As Typhoon Bolaven moves northward towards the Yellow Sea , it will drag Tembin toward the China coast very near Shanghai , '' said CNN International meteorologist Tom Sater . `` That 's an amazing change in direction . '' Are you there ? Share your stories , images and videos . Photos : Finding beauty in violent storms . CNN 's Paula Hancocks , Yoko Wakatsuki and Ralitsa Vassileva ; and CNN meteorologist Pedram Javaheri contributed to this report .
NEW : Six Chinese fishermen rescued after boats capsize in typhoon . NEW : Search is on for another 28 fishermen still missing . Typhoon 's winds in Okinawa not as strong as initially feared , local official says . Comment: