Cable television networks CNN, MSNBC and Fox said a senior US official had confirmed to them that Bin Laden's body had been buried in the sea, without giving further details.
US officials did not respond when contacted by AFP for confirmation of the reports.
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But earlier an administration official said of the corpse: "We are ensuring that it is handled in accordance with Islamic practice and tradition.
"This is something that we take very seriously. And so therefore this is being handled in an appropriate manner."
Burying bin Laden's body at sea would ensure that his final resting place does not become a shrine and a place of pilgrimage for his followers, ABC television reported earlier.
