Duncan Munro, 46, from Bishop Auckland, George Allison, 57, from Winchester
Gary McCrossan, 59, from Inverness and and Sarah Darnley, 45, from Elgin
Fourteen people were taken to the Gilbert Bain Hospital in Lerwick, Shetland, for treatment, including the two crew members, officers said. Five were discharged and 9 detained overnight for observation or because they were suffering from exposure.
Assistant Chief Constable Malcolm Graham, of Police Scotland, said: "Our sympathies are very much with the families of those affected at this difficult time. All families have been informed and specially-trained family liaison officers are currently providing them with support.
"This incident has resulted in a large-scale response from a number of different agencies who have worked closely together to deliver a swift rescue operation. We will now be carrying out an investigation to establish the circumstances in due course."
There have been five major incident in the last four years involving Super Puma helicopters in the UK offshore industry. The latest is the second to result in fatalities.
Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, said: "There have been repeated serious and tragically fatal crashes involving Super Puma helicopters. There are now serious questions about why the Super Puma had been cleared to fly given its tragic record in recent years.
"The Sumburgh ditching is the same model of Super Puma that crashed off Peterhead with the loss of 16 lives."
The helicopter's operator CHC announced they had suspended operations of the aircraft until more information became available.
The search operation, involving the coastguard, police, RAF and RNLI, was extended overnight to hunt for missing people in the darkness.
The ditiched helicopter's yellow floatation device is visable as RNLI volunteers in the Y-boat from the Aith lifeboat inspect the wreckage
A rescue team spent hours securing the ditched helicopter and moving it to a more accessible location where it is waiting to be loaded on to a vessel.
The Super Puma L2, flown by two crew members, was carrying 16 passengers from an oil rig to the island when it ditched.
Sam Smith, one of the rescued men, told his mother Amanda how it suddenly lost power and there was "no time to brace".
Mrs Smith told Sky News: "He said (the helicopter) seemed to lose power and there was no time to brace – they just dropped into the sea. He was by the window so he was able to escape that way as it rolled over. He said he had come off better than a lot of people, were his words. It doesn't seem real."
The coastguard said the helicopter's life rafts were found empty and some wreckage from the aircraft has started to wash up at the southern end of Sumburgh.
CHC said it was flying for oil company Total and that the aircraft lost communication as it approached the airport, on the southern tip of Shetland's main island.
A spokesman said: "The aircraft was on approach to Sumburgh Airport at approximately 6.20pm when contact was lost with air traffic control. We can confirm there were 16 passengers on board, and two crew."
Investigators from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch have been called to the scene.
Two lifeboats from Lerwick and Aith were being helped at the scene by helicopters from the coastguard, RAF Lossiemouth and two Bond rescue helicopters.
A Northlink ferry carrying 201 passengers between Shetland and Orkney was also diverted to the scene to help.
Jim Nicholson, RNLI rescue coordinator, said two of the bodies were recovered in the area where the helicopter crashed.
He said: "The bodies came to the surface close to the helicopter wreckage. The helicopter was in a pretty inaccessible place but the lifeboat crew were able to get to them using an inflatable craft.
"It's fortunate there were not more casualties in a helicopter crash of this kind. There appears to have been a catastrophic loss of power which meant the helicopter suddenly dropped into the sea without any opportunity to make a controlled landing."
Mr Nicholson added: "The helicopter is being held in position but no one has been able to board it yet. Once the helicopter has been loaded on to the vessel it can searched. It may be that a body is recovered on the helicopter."
He praised the efforts of the rescue agencies involved: "I think it's been a very long night and I think the crew have been tremendous."
Pat Rafferty, Scottish secretary of the Unite union said the incident was "deeply concerning" and that his immediate thoughts were with the families of those involved.
Mr Rafferty said the rescue of the survivors of the accident was " testimony to the bravery and skills of the rescue services".
He went on: "This brings into sharp focus once again the very precarious nature of the transportation of workers to and from offshore platforms. The health and safety of working people is our priority and we will be watching events closely as they happen."
Mr Allison had been working at the Offshore Dunbar Platform as a project safety supervisor for just over a year when he was killed, according to his LinkedIn profile.
He was overseeing conversion work at the platform and at a drilling support vessel, it said. He listed his interests as swimming, fishing, art, riding his bicycle, cooking and reading.
Jimmy Taylor, a friend of the Darnley family, said Sarah had worked in the oil and gas industry for more than two decades.
He told STV News: "She liked the camaraderie and the fun of it. She will be missed."
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