RIO DE JANEIRO, April 9 (Xinhua) -- At least seven people were dead due to heavy rains since Monday in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, the state civil defense agency said Tuesday.

Rio de Janeiro, the second most populous city in Brazil after Sao Paulo, is in a "crisis state," the highest in the scale of emergencies, due to the forecast of continued heavy rains in the coming hours.

Since Monday evening, it rained twice as much as it was expected for the entire month of April.

Several areas of the city registered severe damage, with a number of mudslides, floods, and fallen trees.

The southern and western zones were the most affected, as some entire neighborhoods are under water. Some residents even had to resort to boats in order to move to safer grounds.

Classes were suspended in public schools, and several private schools closed too. Thousands of residents could not get to work in the morning.

According to the agency, more than 1,700 emergency cases were received as a result of the rains.

The weather forecast predicted more rain for the evening, which may lead to more damage and casualties.