Five Italian hostages who were kidnapped by Yemeni tribesmen this week were released on Friday, a tribal source said.

"They were handed over to mediating tribal chiefs at dawn on Friday," the source who was involved in negotiations said.

The five, including three women, were captured on Sunday by tribesmen seeking to settle a local vendetta in the Marib region 170 kilometres (100 miles) east of the capital, Sanaa.

The Yemeni authorities had sent in more troops on Thursday to the lawless area of the country as captors stood firm on demands that the hostages will only be released in exchange for eight of their own number held in jail.

But Italy had demanded that the Yemeni government not use force to free them.

The kidnapping of the Italians occurred a day after a German family of five, including a retired top diplomat, was freed. It was the fourth incident of abduction of foreigners within the space of three months.